The use of music may benefit stroke patients who are working on improving their range of movement, according to the most recent Cochrane Systematic Review.

In an effort to determine if music therapy could help individuals regain movement in parts of the body damaged by strokes, researchers conducted seven studies in which they observed a total of 184 patients.

The results of the trials that used rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) therapy treatments showed that patients’ walking speed could increase by an average of 14 meters per minute, and individuals may be able to take longer strides. The investigators found that RAS therapy improved elbow movement as well.

Patients also benefited from listening to live and recorded music, which lead to improved speech and behavior as well as alleviated stroke-related pain.

Joke Bradt, lead investigator of the arts and quality of life research center at Temple University, stated that “this review shows encouraging results for the effects of music therapy in stroke patients.” He added that “as most of the studies we looked at used rhythm-based methods, we suggest that rhythm may be a primary factor in music therapy approaches to treating stroke.”

Approximately 6.4 million people in the U.S. who suffered strokes in 2006 are still alive today, the American Heart Association reports.