NCT03160300

The Effect of Binaural Beats on Pain Perception and Analgesic Medication Use in Patients Suffering From Chronic Pain

Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial on the Effect of Binaural Beats on Pain Perception and Analgesic Medication Use in Patients Suffering From Chronic Pain

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 21 (actual)
• Sponsor: Aristotle University Of Thessaloniki · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study evaluates the effect of binaural beats on pain perception and subsequent need for analgesic medication use in patients suffering from diseases causing chronic pain. All patients will receive two consecutive interventions: binaural beat signals embedded in relaxing music and placebo (relaxing music without the binaural beat component), in random order.

Detailed description

Binaural beats consist of two artificially produced sound waves, differing in wave frequency, presented simultaneously and separately to each ear. The brain, following binaural beat processing, synchronizes to the frequency difference between the two waves. Therefore, using a 5 Hz frequency difference (theta rhythm), which promotes relaxation, we could alleviate pain perception and subsequent analgesic medication use. Patients suffering from chronic pain will receive two consecutive interventions: binaural beat signals embedded in relaxing music and placebo (relaxing music without the binaural beat component), in random order. Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings will be used to confirm brain frequency synchronization, whereas pain severity scales and a diary recording analgesic medication use will be used to identify differences between intervention and placebo arms.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Music with Binaural Beats	Relaxing music with embedded binaural beats at a frequency of 5 Hz
DEVICE	Music	Relaxing music without a binaural beat component

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-05-15
• Primary completion: 2018-12-31
• Completion: 2018-12-31
• First posted: 2017-05-19
• Last updated: 2019-07-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Greece