Inpatient rehabilitation facilities have many types of therapies including occupational and speech therapy. Have you ever wondered if music therapy could be beneficial for inpatient rehabilitation patients as well? In a study completed by Hayoung A Lim, PhD, MT-BC, NMT Fellow, Karen Miller, MT-BC, NMT Fellow and Chuck Fabian MOT, OTR these researchers compared music therapy techniques to occupational therapy techniques to see their effects on endurance, self-perceived fatigue, and self-perceived exertion. There were 35 participants for this study from the hospital within the physical rehabilitation unit. All of these participants had recently undergone orthopedic surgery, or were diagnosed with a neurologic disorder. The techniques applied consisted of a Neurologic Music Therapy sensory motor technique called Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance (TIMP.) This was compared to Traditional Occupational Therapy (TOT). During the study the researchers used TOT and TIMP techniques during the sessions on participants less affected upper extremity. In the results there was no significant difference between the TOT and TIMP exercises in endurance. However, there were statistically significant differences found between TOT and TIMP in relation to self-perceived fatigue and self-perceived exertion. The results showed that the participants had significantly less perception of exertion and fatigue when using the TIMP technique than when using the TOT. Therefore, TIMP can be used and be effective for sensory motor rehabilitation to decrease exertion and perception levels within inpatient physical rehabilitation settings.
By Kylie Kirksey, MM, MT-BC
Lim, H. A., Miller, K., & Fabian, C. (2011). The Effects of Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance on Endurance Level, Self-Perceived Fatigue Level, and Self-Perceived Exertion of Inpatients in Physical Rehabilitation. Journal of Music Therapy, 48(2), 124-148. doi:10.1093/jmt/48.2.124