PHANTOM PAIN
Are you experiencing any pain after you had your limb amputated? The pain isn’t even a delusion but real. Technically speaking, the part of your body is missing but you are still experiencing the pain in that part of your body which isn’t even there. Weird huh!
Well, if you are wondering, this condition is termed as Phantom pain in medical terminology.
Although, it has received some light in recent period, it still remains a poorly understood topic with a medical condition difficult to treat.
WHAT IS PHANTOM PAIN?
Phantom pain is referred as a neuropathic pain that is experienced in the body part which is no more present in the body. Sensations like throbbing, piercing, tingling and pin-pricking are the most described ones in the case of phantom pain.
Phantom pain can range from mild to severe. It can last from second to days or even longer.
These sensation or phantom pain may have onset on different time in different people. It may occur after immediately after the amputation has been done or years after the procedure. So the onset may be within a month or so of amputation or a year or two after the procedure.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF PHANTOM PAIN?
There are multiple factors responsible for phantom pain. The site of amputation or where the amputation pain is occurring is strongly correlated to the development of phantom pain.
Phantom pain is also related to the cause because of which the limb had to be amputated like trauma, cancer, vascular problems, congenital limb deficiency, etc.
Some psychological or emotional factors like anxiety, stress and memory of pain during the procedure and depression also highly contribute to the exacerbation and persistence of the painful sensations of phantom pain.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT OF PHANTOM LIMB?
It is quite a hustle to find the right treatment to relieve your phantom pain. The treatment is initially done with medications and gradually some non-invasive techniques like acupuncture and physiotherapy are introduced.
Invasive options are implanted devices and injections. If nothing is working for a person, surgery is then the last resort to get rid of it.
The most recent therapy, Mirror therapy has been introduced. Researchers have found mixed results in controlled trials of mirror therapy in phantom pain. Multidisciplinary measures have helped in achieving the most successful outcomes in this therapy.
PHARMACOTHERAPY
It is unlikely for a drug to work for everyone in the same way. So a combination of different drugs is used for different people. Some of the medications are:
- OTC Pain relievers like Tylenol, ibuprofen or aleve.
- Opioids like morphine and codeine
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Anticonvulsants like carbamazepine, gabapentin, etc.
- Sodium channel blocker like bupivacaine, lidocaine, etc.
- Beta blockers like metoprolol or propranolol
- Physiotherapy
- Prosthesis training
- Electroconvulsive therapy
- Spinal cord stimulation
OTHER
- Compression on residual limb
- Limb-massage and desensitization
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Acupuncture
- Relax shock
- Heat/Ice
- Trigger point release
- Education and reassurance
- Sensory discrimination training