One of the challenges in the initial stage of medical treatment could be dealing with the feeling of a phantom limb or phantom pain in the missing limb.The sensation of a phantom limb is the feeling that the amputated limb still exists. Most people with amputated limbs have such sensations to varying degrees.
Between 5 and 10% of people with amputated limbs also feel phantom pain in the missing limb. Phantom pain in the missing limb could arise immediately after the injury or develop weeks or months later.
It seems more frequent with people who have lost their limbs at a more advanced age.
As the name suggests, phantom pain has an unclear origin which remains to a large extent a mystery for scientists.
One of the explanations is the theory of brain re-organisation.
According to this theory, when the brain stops receiving information from certain nerves after an amputation, the neurons in the somatic sensory cortex re-organise and create a new representation (model) of the limb in the so called “homunculus corticalis”.
However, the old model of the leg (or arm) continues to send signals to the missing leg, which remain without sensor or proprioceptive response and this leads to a conflict between the old and new model. The lack of response increases even more the intensity of the search signals towards the amputated limb, which in the end, leads to a painful sensation.
Phantom pain is different and could be felt as a spasm, twist, heat, burning feeling, pins and needles, puncture by needles or drill, electrical shock. Stress, anxiety, fear or tiredness usually increase discomfort and pain.
There are many different types of therapy to ease this pain, including acupuncture, bio-feedback, chiropractice and others.
People must not hesitate to talk to their prosthetic technician and their doctor regarding phantom pain and how to best treat it.
We outline here some techniques that our patients have used to decrease or relieve phantom pain:
- Simulating /mental exercising - with the missing limb in the area where pain arises
- Imagining relaxing the missing limb and the stump
-Flexing the muscles in the stump and slowly releasing
-Putting on an elastic bandage
-For those wearing a prosthesis, putting it on and taking a short walk
- Changing the position of the body, moving or standing up
-Massage of the stump with both hands
