Phantom-limb pain is a common sequela of amputation, occurring in up to 80% of people who undergo the procedure. It must be differentiated from non-painful phantom phenomena, residual-limb pain, and non-painful residual-limb phenomena. Central changes seem to be a major determinant of phantom-limb pain; however, peripheral and psychological factors may contribute to it. A comprehensive model of...

Phantom limb pain affects an alarming amount of amputees. Little is known about the true cause of phantom limb pain, making it difficult to establish a standard treatment for it. This literature review looks at the etiology of phantom limb pain as well as the three major forms of treatment for phantom limb pain: pharmacological, invasive, and supportive. These three forms of treatment use diffe...

OBJECTIVE To ascertain the existence of contralateral painful muscle areas mirroring phantom pain and to evaluate the short-term effects of anaesthetic vs saline, injected contra notlaterally to control phantom and phantom limb pain. DESIGN Double-blinded cross-over study. SETTING Inpatients; rehabilitation institute. PARTICIPANTS Eight lower limb amputees with phantom limb pain in the pa...

Following left brachial plexus avulsion, a 20-year-old man had phantom limb pain and remapping of sensation from his paralyzed hand onto his face. Mirror therapy (15 min daily, 5 days/week) led immediately to good movement of the phantom limb with decreased pain. Within 2 weeks following nerve graft surgery, remapping of hand sensation onto the face disappeared along with resolution of phantom ...

Objectives: This study aims to describe the prevalence and characteristics of phantom limb pain and residual limb pain following upper limb amputation. Methods: One-hundred and forty-one participants (139 males; mean age 74.8 years; mean time since amputation 50.1 years) completed a self-report questionnaire assessing residual and phantom limb pain experience. Results: Prevalence of phantom lim...

From Pain Management Center of Paducah, Paducah, Kentucky, and Pain Diagnostic Associates, Niagara, Wisconsin. Address Correspondence: Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD, 2831 Lone Oak Road, Paducah, Kentucky 42003 E-mail: [email protected] Funding: There was no external funding in preparation of this manuscript. Conflict of Interest: None Since the first medical description of post-amputation phenomena repor...

Phantom limb phenomena were correlated with psychophysiological measures of peripheral sympathetic nervous system activity measured at the amputation stump and contralateral limb. Amputees were assigned to one of three groups depending on whether they reported phantom limb pain, non-painful phantom limb sensations, or no phantom limb at all. Skin conductance and skin temperature were recorded c...

Phantom limb pain (PLP) in amputees is associated with reorganizational changes in the somatosensory system. To investigate the relationship between somatosensory and motor reorganization and phantom limb pain, we used focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex and neuroelectric source imaging of the somatosensory cortex (SI) in patients with and without phantom limb pain...

Three case histories are presented in which amputees with acute or chronic phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensation were treated with Western medical acupuncture, needling the asymptomatic intact limb. Two out of the three cases reported complete relief of their phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensation. Acupuncture was successful in treating phantom phenomena in two of these cases, but ...

While phantom limb pain is a well-recognized phenomenon, clinical experience has suggested that the augmentation of phantom limb pain with visceral stimulation is an issue for many military personnel with amputation (visceral stimulation being the sensation of the bowel or bladder either filling or evacuating). However, the prevalence of this phenomenon is not known. The aim of this study was t...