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What is Phantom Limb Pain?
Phantom Limb Pain, occurs after an amputation, where a patient experiences pain in the missing part of the extremity.
Ranges from mild to severe
It can last for seconds to days, or even longer.
80% to 100% of amputees, often has chronic phantom limb and resistant to treatment.
What causes Phantom Limb Pain?
Phantom limb pain typically occurs soon after limb loss, It can take 3 to 6 months for the wound to heal. 8 in 10 patients continue to have phantom pain 2 years after.
The cause is unknown, however, experts believe it results from a mix-up in nervous system signals between the spinal cord and the brain.
What are the symptoms?
What are the symptoms?
The main symptom is the missing extremity still feels like it's part of the body. It can last for minutes to days.
The pain has been described as :
Burning or aching
Clamping or pinching
Itching or tingling
Shooting or stabbing
Twisting
Throbbing
Can anything trigger the pain?
Can anything trigger the pain?
Imaging In Diagnosis
To rule out residual limb pain and infection, an ultrasound or MRI might be done.
If there is no identifiable cause, the patient will be diagnosed with phantom limb
To find out more information about Phantom Limb Pain, visit these websites by clicking the logo
To find out more information about Phantom Limb Pain, visit these websites by clicking the logo
A Patient's Experience
"I am a bilateral below the knee amputee, I lost my right leg in 1995 and my left in 2009. I've never let it stop me from doing anything I wanted to try, I use to swim from my county and I cycled nearly 900 miles in a week on a wonderful holiday.
When I told the doctor who diagnosed me, I was going into nursing. He just laughed at me and said "You'll never ever manage". Well, you say that to me and it's like a red rag to a bull. I did nearly 30 years in nursing! I had to retire after a knee replacement and shortly after I started needing very big operations. I had a full arthrodesis on my ankle, which by the way I'd already had done when I was 17, yet again it didn't work, so I was sent to another doctor. After many attempts and failures to fix my condition, I said enough is enough and began my amputations."
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