The Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Hand Function in Patients With Stroke: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of music-supported therapy for stroke patients' hand function.Methods: The databases used included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Music Index, and Google Scholar. Studies published between January 2010 and August 2020 were included. The searching key terms included “music-supported therapy,” “music therapy,” “hand function,” “hand dysfunction,” “stroke,” “ischemic,” and “hemorrhagic.” Randomized controlled trials or controlled trials involving adults who have hand function problems caused by stroke are included in this study. The methodological quality and risk of bias of the included studies were rated by two independent assessors under the guidance of Cochrane collaboration's risk of bias tool.Results: Twelve studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Totally, the data included 598 stroke patients (345 male, 253 female) with recruited time from 1.7 months to 3 years, and the mean age of the participants were 61.09 years old. Based on the Cochrane risk of bias tool, study quality ranged from three to seven out of seven points. Compared with the control group, outcomes including hand strength, range of joint motion, dexterity of hands, arm function, and quality of life were significantly superior with music-supported therapy. Five studies reported improved dexterity of hands, and one study reported the improvement of range of motion and strength of patients' hands, which supported the therapy has positive effects on patients' hand function and improving their quality of life after the therapy. The therapy ranged over a period of 4–8 weeks, with an average duration of 30 min/session and an average of three times per week.Conclusion: Based on the results, music-supported therapy could be a useful treatment for improving hand function and activities of daily living in patients with stroke, especially for patients within 6 months after stroke. However, the low certainty of evidence downgrades our confidence to practice in hospital. More and more randomized controlled trials and larger sample sizes are required for a deeper review.

Rhythm and Music-Based Interventions in Motor Rehabilitation: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives

“…Motor deficits of the upper extremity are common in patients with stroke and have a relevant impact on patients’ activities of daily living, independence, and quality of life ( Morris et al, 2013 ). Motor function recovery for this population relies primarily on motor rehabilitation ( Langhorne et al, 2011 ), thus music-based therapies have received ample research attention in the past years (for discussion, see Thaut and McIntosh, 2014 ; Zhang et al, 2016 ; Moumdjian et al, 2017 ; Chen, 2018 ; Altenmüller and James, 2020 ; Grau-Sánchez et al, 2020 ; Huang et al, 2021 ).…”

Tenecteplase vs. alteplase for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review

“…Studies were included if they met the following Population, Intervention, Controls, Outcome, Study (PICOS) criteria [ 9 ]: Population: The study population included adults (18 years old or older) diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke confirmed by diagnostic guidelines updated by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association [ 10 ]. Intervention: Interventions had to be treatment-based, including tenecteplase or alteplase intravenously administered.…”

“…Studies were included if they met the following Population, Intervention, Controls, Outcome, Study (PICOS) criteria [9]:…”

Wirkung von Musik bei verschiedenen Krankheiten und besonderen medizinischen Situationen

“…Die motorische Dysfunktion ist eine der häufigsten Komplikationen nach einem Schlaganfall, die sich in Taubheitsgefühlen und Schwäche der Gliedmaßen bis hin zu Lähmungen oder Krämpfen äußert [29]. [31].…”