Music Therapy in Post-stroke Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review of Clinical Trials Assessing Motor Function Improvement
Natalia Rojas-Amaris1, Javier Polo-Ibarra2
1Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2Emergency, Boston Medical Center
Objective:
This scoping review aims to explore the outcomes of clinical trials assessing motor function improvement following music therapy in post-stroke rehabilitation.
Background:
Impaired motor function due to stroke is common and represents an important cause of disability worldwide. Post-stroke rehabilitation is essential to restore the performance of the affected body area and promote recovery. Evidence has shown that music stimulates structural changes in the brain that can further induce functional restoration after stroke.
Design/Methods:
A systematic search in Pubmed was conducted for articles published between 1997 and 2025. The search was limited to the English language. Studies were selected based on their design and reported outcomes. Exclusion criteria included ongoing studies without results, pilot studies, quasi-experimental studies, reviews, and clinical trials that assessed other neurological domains such as cognitive function, language or mood symptoms. This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.
Results:
Four randomized controlled trials (n=276 participants total) were included in this review. All studies demonstrated consistent motor function improvements with music therapy. The most robust findings came from Segura et al. (2024), showing 55% improvement rates in the enriched music-supported therapy group versus 21.6% in controls (OR=4.5, 95% CI: 1.4-14.0;p=0.019), yielding a number needed to treat of approximately 3 patients. Effect sizes ranged from moderate to large across all studies.
Conclusions:
There is compelling evidence for the efficacy of music therapy in post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation, with consistent positive outcomes across 17 years of research spanning different populations, methodologies, and healthcare settings. However, critical research gaps remain, particularly the urgent need for studies addressing lower limb motor function and gait rehabilitation. Enhancing walking and gait recovery should be a priority for future research.
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