How opera singing is helping people to manage chronic pain
WNOPeople living with a variety of health conditions are being taught techniques used by opera singers in an effort to manage their persistent pain.
June Evans, 67, was referred to the Welsh National Opera (WNO) wellness programme due to pain and mobility issues caused by a heart attack, stroke and other illnesses.
Ms Evans, from Powys, said the programme improved her physical health and made her "want to live again".
The WNO said two-thirds of people who had taken part in the online course had described seeing improvements in their health.
The programme, funded by the Welsh government, is a one-year pilot aimed at people living with persistent pain and covers a range of conditions including lower back pain and fibromyalgia.
An evaluation found that 67% of participants had experienced reduced pain and improved functionality, as well as emotional and mental benefits.
"We're thinking about how we're sitting and it improves the posture. It improves the breathing, because we do breathing exercises, then we do a vocal warm up in a fun way," said Ms Evans.
"You're making sounds and holding your mouth in a certain way whilst you do certain actions, you move on to the singing, and the singing is so fun.
"The whole hour is fun. It's a break from the awfulness of your life. It's dramatically changed my life."
Referrals to the WNO programme have predominantly come through pain management teams across Welsh health boards, but some people have also self-referred.
It is estimated that the course saves the NHS in Wales more than £20 per person per hour, as it eliminates the need for health boards to set up their own programmes.
Singing 'calms our nervous system'
Owen Hughes, NHS Wales' national clinical lead for persistent pain during the one-year pilot, said: "Our current understanding of persistent and chronic pain is that it's partly due to the nervous system getting wound up so that it continues to send messages to the brain saying something something's wrong, long after the normal healing process has occurred.
"What we know is that singing is brilliant at just calming the nervous system. There's a nerve called the vagus nerve, which runs through the diaphragm, which is a key muscle for breathing and singing.
"When you're using the diaphragm that stimulates the vagus nerve, and that's what calms our nervous system."
The breathing and singing sessions are led by professionally trained opera performers online.
People take part from home and they are not required to be on camera or have their microphone switched on.
Mezzo-soprano, Kate Woolveridge, said: "It's a community on Zoom where they're all on mute, but they're all singing with somebody with shared experience.
"We sing a song in Zulu, which nobody would have ever thought they'd be singing in Zulu, but it takes your head away from the pain you know when you're trying to concentrate loose and Zulu words your capacity for for noticing all the rest of the stuff, is lessened."
WNOThe WNO said further funding would allow it to expand the offer of its wellness programme to benefit more people.
"Initially, it just started off as something to help people purely with their breathing, their lungs, their lung capacity, and potentially the benefits for mental health.
"And then as you've gone along, you've seen how much more of a broader positive impact it can have," Ms Woolveridge said.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The Welsh National Opera's 'Managing Persistent Pain' programme has helped to improve the physical and mental health, and overall quality of life to many people in Wales living with persistent pain.
"It provides participants with skills, enabling them to manage their symptoms and take greater control of their own health and wellbeing.
"We continue to engage with WNO and the NHS Wales Executive to explore future opportunities for the programme as a valuable intervention method in our communities."