Music therapy versus sedative gas for anxiety during back pain procedures

This trial is testing whether Music Care®, a digital music therapy application on a tablet, can reduce anxiety during a CT-guided lumbar infiltration (a minimally invasive procedure to treat low back pain) as effectively as an inhaled gas mixture called EMONO. Researchers believe that the music therapy approach may be easier to use, cause fewer side effects, and be better tolerated than the gas method, especially since patients lie face-down during the procedure.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, patients report higher anxiety during medical procedures and hospital visits. The current sedative gas treatment has drawbacks—it can cause nausea and dizziness, and it's harder to use when patients are lying flat on their stomachs. A simple, non-invasive music therapy approach could be a gentler alternative that reduces patient anxiety and makes the procedure safer and more comfortable for everyone involved.