MELODY MEDICINE

How music can benefit your health

THIS week: Improves how you walk

WALKING to the steady beat of music — fast or slow, instrumental or vocal — may help improve gait, particularly for those with Parkinson’s disease (where walking can become slower and less stable).

In a 2019 study at the Sapienza University of Rome and other centres, researchers asked healthy young and older participants as well as Parkinson’s patients, to walk while listening to tracks from four musical genres. They found a huge improvement in walking, notably in the participants’ speed and range of motion. Rock, motivational and heavy metal songs were particularly effective, compared to classical music which, despite improving posture (such as leaning excessively), was also shown to reduce speed. It’s thought that listening to music provides a precise auditory cue that people match their walking speed to, rather than relying on defective internal timing.