Phantom limb pain is described as a, “pain that feels like it's coming from a body part that's no longer there” (“Phantom pain”). Countless patients have complained about the intense pain experienced when they have had a limb amputated. As of now there has been no cure of treatment for those experiencing phantom limb pain. Many researchers have speculated on what causes this pain in the absence of the limb and some have concluded that the pain is caused by the brain reorganizing neurons and their pathways. This reorganization could be why the brain believes that limb is still attached to the body and why there is so much pain associated with it ("Cause of Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees, and Potential Treatment, Identified”). 
Dr. Dumaniam of Northwestern Memorial Hospital has studied how reconnecting key nerves in an amputee’s brain and body can help the patient use their prosthetic to its full extent in his paper, “Targeted reinnervation for enhanced prosthetic arm function in a woman with a proximal amputation: a case study” (Kuiken, et al.). This paper discusses how Dr. Dumaniam reconnected 4 specific nerves in order for the patient to gain full sensory and mobility in their prosthetic so that the patient would be able to live their lives as normally as they did before the amputation. After amputations occur the patient still has a fully functioning nerve, which could be a cause of this painful phantom pain. That is why Dr. Dumaniam has taken the time to figure out which nerves could reconnect and bring back functionality and sensation to the patient. However, the question that does arise is, does the phantom limb pain still occur?
By giving the patient a fully functioning prosthetic does this eliminate the phantom pain because the brain now believes that there is a limb present? Or is it possible that the patient’s brain sees this prosthetic and treats it as a foreign object and reject the entire prosthetic? In a study done in New Zealand, researchers listed some possible reasons why amputees could reject their prosthetic. These reasons include, “development of one handedness which removes the functional need for the prosthesis, lack of sufficient training or skill in using the prosthesis, poor comfort of the prosthesis, the unnatural look or profile of the prosthesis, and the reactions which the wearer gets from other people” (Burrough). These reasons could cause the patient, even more pain alongside the phantom limb pain.
Giving patients fully functioning prosthetics, as Dr. Dumaniam is doing, is an enormous step in the right direction to help amputees live a normal and pain free life. However, phantom limb pain is a serious and intense discomfort to the hundreds and thousands of patients dealing with it everyday. With more research on this pain, hopefully those who have gone through amputations will be able to live their lives as they did before.
Sources
Burrough, Stephen F., and Judith A. Brook. "Patterns of Acceptance and Rejection of Upper Limb Prostheses." Patterns of Acceptance and Rejection of Upper Limb Prostheses | O&P Virtual Library. American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
"Cause of Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees, and Potential Treatment, Identified." University of Cambridge. Uni, 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
Kuiken, Todd A., Laura A. Miller, Robert D. Lipschutz, Blair A. Lock, Kathy Stubblefield, Paul D. Marasco, Ping Zhou, and Gregory A. Dumanian. "Targeted Reinnervation for Enhanced Prosthetic Arm Function in a Woman with a Proximal Amputation: A Case Study." The Lancet 369.9559 (2007): 371-80. Web.
"Phantom Pain." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 03 Dec. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
Images
http://neurosciencenews.com/phantom-limb-pain-tms-4830/
http://www.ivketamine.com/phantom-limb/
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