Published 23 August 2024 at 14.21
Domestic. Music-based movement therapy, according to what is known as the Ronnie Gardiner method, has the potential to contribute to the rehabilitation after a stroke and in other brain diseases. This is shown by a mapping overview study from the University of Gothenburg.
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The Ronnie Gardiner method was developed by and named after the jazz drummer Ronald “Ronnie” Gardiner, born in 1932 and for many years living in Sweden.
The method is used in rehabilitation in Sweden and internationally, but there has been a lack of an overall scientific picture of possible functional improvements when the method is applied, and how leaders and participants perceive it.
In the current study, published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation, a survey is made of the purposes for which the Ronnie Gardiner method is used in health care. The study also explores the potential benefits of the method.
However, there is no doubt that the method in practice brings joy to the practitioners in an often tough life situation with long-term rehabilitation needs, says Petra Pohl, physiotherapist and university lecturer at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, and responsible for the study.
Hon has researched the method for over fifteen years and previously evaluated it for people with Parkinson's disease and stroke. The previous studies showed that the method is appreciated precisely for its playfulness and pleasant setting with invigorating music, and a social context in a group.
– This is a fun method that arouses interest, and something that deviates from the usual. It challenges both thinking ability and motor skills at the same time, says Petra Pohl in a press release.
The method is based on rhythm and movements, such as hand clapping and foot stomping, based on a two-color note system where the left half of the body follows red notes and the right half blue notes in combination with the mouth forming rhythmic sounds. Many ways to test at the same time: motor skills, sense of rhythm, simultaneous capacity, coordination, memory, endurance and more.
What emerges from the current review study, whose purpose is to provide an overview of results from previous publications in the field, both quantitative and qualitative studies, is that the Ronnie Gardiner method could serve as a valuable addition to traditional neurological rehabilitation.
The best proven are the potential benefits in stroke rehabilitation, while the results from other disease states are not as convincing. Of the 23 studies that were included in the overview, the majority were not peer-reviewed and are therefore not given the same weight.
From the qualitative studies that are included, it appears that the Ronnie Gardiner method is perceived as both challenging, motivating and enjoyable for the participants, and many experienced better recovery and quality of life.
– The method has reached an international arena, and there are many indications that it will be used more in rehabilitation contexts in the future. Therefore, it is important that it is studied, above all in controlled studies, for better validation, says Petra Pohl.