Listening to music can help reduce the pain patients experience after an injury.

In a study published last week, experts concluded that distraction with music acts as an effective form of pain relief. But the researchers also found that some songs had a greater impact than others.

The most common treatments suggested for some form of pain are painkillers, physiotherapy and talk therapy.

However, the new study, conducted by researchers at McGill University in Canada, believes that music can also play an important role, Daily Mail reported.

The study involved 60 people who were subjected to a low-level electric shock. According to the researchers, it was similar to briefly touching the outside of a hot coffee cup.

A third were then told to sit in silence and another third listened to music of their choice.

The remaining participants, however, were given personalized music. Studies have shown that each person has their own natural rhythm. This means that they hear the music at a different speed compared to other people.

The researchers determined each participant's natural rhythm by asking them to play the children's song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at a speed they were comfortable with, without prompting.

Depending on the tempo at which they did so, the scientists sped up or slowed down the music they listened to after the electroshock.

The results found that listening to any music reduced the level of pain experienced by the patients.

For those who received the personalized music, however, the reduction in pain was greatest.

The researchers now hope to test the technique on people suffering from long-term pain, known as chronic pain.

In the past, soothing or relaxing music has often been suggested to work best as a pain reliever, says Prof. Caroline Palmer, a brain scientist at McGill University and co-author of the paper.

"But that doesn't seem accurate enough," she added. | BGNES