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The Rhythmic Benefits of Therapeutic Drumming, as an Occupational Therapy Intervention
- Chelsea Laur
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
The article explores the benefits of a therapeutic drumming group in inpatient rehabilitation, delivered as an occupational therapy (OT) intervention.
What are the benefits of therapeutic drumming?
The functional benefits of therapeutic drumming are broad and include:
Facilitation of pain management
Social connection
Cognitive processing
Perceptual-motor function
Short-term memory
Coordination skills
Therapeutic drumming can help to control chronic pain, by serving as a distraction; it also promotes the production of endorphins and endogenous opioids...
"The endogenous opioid system is widely distributed throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems and plays an important role in various physiological functions, including regulation of pain, emotion and the response to stress" (Drolet et al. 2001).
The group also facilitates social connectedness. Following group participation, patients often comment that they feel better about their current situation in the hospital, after hearing other patients' stories. Patients from the group have even decided to meet for dinner in the hospital's dining room - versus eating alone in their rooms - which promotes improved mental health and social connection. This can also lead to an increase in patients' motivation to partake in their therapy sessions.
In addition, the sound of drumming generates new neuronal connections in various parts of the brain:
"Integrating drumming as a mind-body activity of purposeful rhythmic movement to music may stimulate neuroplasticity in several cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, to learn new movement patterns, attention to follow instructions, executive functions to execute complex movement patterns, and social cognition to connect movement with meaning and emotional expression amid social interactions" - Toader et al. (2023)
Furthermore, the use of therapeutic drumming can be beneficial to improve perceptual motor function, as part of rehabilitation for people with various diagnoses, including Parkinson's disease. Taking part in physically active and socially integrated activities, such as drumming, may help to maintain or improve cognitive function and lower the risk of acquiring dementia over time (Toader, et al., 2023).
Short-term memory loss impacts daily routines, including functional sequencing of activities of daily living (ADLs). In the therapeutic drumming group, I verbalise an interesting fact regarding the band or artist of the subsequent drumming song. At the end of the song, whoever recalls that fact earns a prize, as an extrinsic motivation to improve their memory recall.
Lastly, the therapeutic drumming patterns that I facilitate involve unilateral, bilateral, alternating upper and lower body movements. This develops Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) patterns, to facilitate improved coordination and motor planning skills. Therapeutic drumming allows patients to set their own pace and improve their coordination through repetition.
Every Friday, I lead at the hospital where I work. I will detail here the session plan, to support other occupational therapists to consider the use of drumming in their practice...
-Group Structure-
The group commences with patients introducing themselves and answering an icebreaker question.
Next, the benefit and structure of the group are explained.
I then share an interesting fact about the band or artist to which the group will be drumming.
Lastly, I verbalise and demonstrate a movement pattern with the drumsticks to start the song - and the group follows along.
Throughout each song, the movement patterns are graded, to be progressively more complex, facilitating a just-right challenge for the group participants.
-Supplies-
The group of approximately 12 patients per week sits in a large circle. As program supplies, I have:-
Drumsticks
5-gallon buckets
Yoga balls
Built-up foam tubing
10-gallon water jugs, with handles
Wrist weights
The yoga balls are placed on top of the 5-gallon buckets, with the opening of the buckets facing upwards, for stabilisation of the yoga balls.
The foam tubing is an optional modification, for patients with decreased functional grasping skills to grasp the drumsticks.
The 10-gallon water jug is an alternative instrument for patients with decreased unilateral upper extremity strength, coordination or hemiparesis; it allows the patient to stabilise the empty water jug with his or her affected arm and utilise the unaffected arm to grasp a drumstick.
Furthermore, the wrist weights serve as an optional challenge, for patients to put on their wrists or biceps for increased strength-building.
My musical playlist includes bands and artists such as:- Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Twisted Sister, Elvis Presley, Jackson 5, Credence Clearwater Revival, Queen, Johnny Cash, Van Halen, Michael Jackson, Kiss and Journey. Of course, you could select any songs that you feel patients would enjoy participating to!
Conclusion
Therapeutic drumming is a holistic intervention that can be adapted to patients with a variety of diagnoses and clinical presentations. You do not need specialised equipment or extensive set up to participate. It can be conducted as an individual, concurrent, or group activity session.
Regardless of patients' coordination and rhythm, creating a sound is therapeutic, as it serves as a powerful form of self-expression. If you are looking for a new group idea, or a creative intervention approach, I encourage you to try therapeutic drumming with your patients!
Submitted by:
Chelsea Laur, MSOT, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CWT
Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT) - Lymphology Association of North America (LANA)
Certified Wound Therapist (CWT)
References
Drolet, G., Dumont, É.C., Gosselin, I., Kinkead, R., Laforest, S. and Trottier, J-F. (2001) Role of endogenous opioid system in the regulation of the stress response. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. Vol. 25, 4: 729-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-5846(01)00161-0
Toader, C., Tataru, C.P., Florian, I.A., Covache-Busuioc, R.A., Bratu, B.G., Glavan, L.A., Bordeianu, A., Dumitrascu, D.I. and Ciurea, A.V. (2023) Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain’s Structure and Function. Brain Sciences. Vol. 13, 10. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13101390.
That was so helpful,thank you