This paper describes a pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of using immersive virtual reality (IVR) to treat phantom limb pain. This work builds upon prior research using a mirror box (in which the amputee sees a mirror image of their remaining anatomical limb in the phenomenal space of their amputated limb) to induce vivid sensations of movement originating from the muscles and joints of thei...

Background: There are an estimated 1.6 million people living with a limb amputation in the U.S. Approximately 50-80% of amputees suffer phantom limb pain (PLP), which is pain felt in the absence of a limb that may manifest as stabbing, burning, throbbing or in some other fashion. Mirror therapy has been proposed as an alternative therapy for the treatment of PLP, but its efficacy as an interven...