Phantom limb syndrome is often brief. It can pass on its own over time. Some people may have lasting pain that is hard to manage. There is no one treatment plan that is best. Treatment will be chosen to help control specific symptoms. Options are:. Richardson C, Kulkarni J. A review of the management of phantom limb pain: challenges and solutions. J Pain Res. Lower extremity amputation.
Accessed September 15, Upper extremity amputation. Exceptional Nurses Winchester Hospital was the first community hospital in the state to achieve Magnet designation, recognition for nursing excellence. Supporting Our Community Our tremendous staff gives back to our community by coordinating free health screenings, educational programs, and food drives.
What Our Patients are Saying A leading indicator of our success is the feedback we get from our patients. Home Health Library. Phantom Limb Syndrome Definition Phantom limb syndrome is the feeling of sensations in a limb that has been removed.
Causes The exact cause is not known. Risk Factors This problem is more common in adults. Other things that may raise the risk are: Pre-amputation pain or infection A blood clot in the amputated limb Previous damage to the spinal cord or the peripheral nerves of the affected limb Sudden amputation from trauma, such as an accident The type of anesthesia used during the amputation Symptoms The symptoms are felt in a limb that is no longer there.
Phantom limb syndrome may cause sensations of: Shooting, stabbing, piercing, or burning pain Pleasure, such as from a light touch Pressure The limb still being attached and working normally Numbness, tickling, or cramping Diagnosis The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history.
Treatment Phantom limb syndrome is often brief. Options are: Medicine Medicine that may be given to manage symptoms include: Pain medicine Muscle relaxants Antidepressants Anti-seizure medicine Antipsychotics Electrical Nerve Stimulation Electrical nerve stimulation may help calm nerve signals. Examples are: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation TENS —a tiny electric current is sent through the skin to nearby nerves Transcranial magnetic stimulation—a strong magnetic pulse is sent through the scalp into the brain Spinal cord stimulation—an electrode is inserted near the spinal cord to ease pain Other Methods Other methods that may help are: Regional sympathectomy—surgery to interrupt selected nerves near the spinal cord Biofeedback Stress relaxation methods Exercise Prevention There are no known methods to prevent this health problem.
Cancer Care. Emergency Services. Cesarean Birth. Imaging Services. High Blood Pressure. Laboratory Services. Maternity Services. Hip Replacement. Primary Care. Type 2 Diabetes. Surgical Services. For others, managing phantom pain can be challenging. You and your doctor can work together to treat phantom pain effectively with medication or other therapies. The exact cause of phantom pain is unclear, but it appears to come from the spinal cord and brain.
During imaging scans — such as magnetic resonance imaging MRI or positron emission tomography PET — portions of the brain that had been neurologically connected to the nerves of the amputated limb show activity when the person feels phantom pain.
Many experts believe phantom pain may be at least partially explained as a response to mixed signals from the brain. After an amputation, areas of the spinal cord and brain lose input from the missing limb and adjust to this detachment in unpredictable ways.
The result can trigger the body's most basic message that something is not right: pain. Studies also show that after an amputation the brain may remap that part of the body's sensory circuitry to another part of the body.
In other words, because the amputated area is no longer able to receive sensory information, the information is referred elsewhere — from a missing hand to a still-present cheek, for example. So when the cheek is touched, it's as though the missing hand is also being touched. Because this is yet another version of tangled sensory wires, the result can be pain. A number of other factors are believed to contribute to phantom pain, including damaged nerve endings, scar tissue at the site of the amputation and the physical memory of pre-amputation pain in the affected area.
A poorly-fitting prosthesis may also cause pain, though this is typically considered a cause of residual limb pain. Not everyone who has an amputation develops phantom pain. Some factors that may increase your risk of phantom pain include:. Because the risk of developing phantom pain is higher for people who have experienced pain in the limb before amputation, some doctors recommend regional anesthesia spinal or epidural in the hours or days leading up to amputation.
This may reduce pain immediately following surgery and reduce the risk of lasting phantom limb pain. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
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Overview Phantom pain is pain that feels like it's coming from a body part that's no longer there. Residual limb pain. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Benzon HT, et al. Phantom limb pain.
In: Practical Management of Pain. Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed Sept. Pain: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Kalapatapu V. Lower extremity amputation.
Fuchs X, et al. Psychological factors associated with phantom limb pain: A review of recent findings. Pain and Research Management. Vaso A, et al.
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