Contemporary medicine has worked diligently to find pathways and treatments to relieve or reduce the physical pain experienced by people, young and old alike, suffering from countless diseases and disorders. Tremendous advances have been made in pain management, especially the area of pharmaceuticals. However, insufficient attention has been paid to addressing the emotional and spiritual needs that commonly co-exist in patients with physical pain. In fact, the idea of performing a spiritual assessment often makes nurses and physicians feel uneasy (Hill, et al., 2000).

Spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis is one of the most painful surgeries experienced by adolescents. Music therapy, utilizing music-assisted relaxation with controlled breathing and imagery, is a promising intervention for reducing pain and anxiety for these patients. It can be challenging to teach new coping strategies to post-operative patients who are already in pain. This study evaluated the effects of introducing music-assisted relaxation training to adolescents before surgery. Outcome measures were self-reported pain and anxiety, recorded on 0-10 numeric rating scale, and observed behavioral indicators of pain and relaxation.