Phantom limb pain can be a debilitating condition experienced by a majority of the amputee patients in the United States and across the world (Dumanian). Phantom limb pain is a recurring sensation ranging from pain severity of discomfort to incredibly debilitating. Unfortunately for those suffering from this condition, treatment is complicated and not always entirely successful in completely subduing symptoms (Colmenero et al).
In a research article and presentation given by Greg Dumanian, the concept of targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) is tested to treat phantom limb pain in major limb amputee patients. The TMR process includes excising a neuroma and attaching a fresh motor nerve and coapting minor nerves (Dumanian). This process reinnervates interior muscle nerves and replaces the neuroma. The nerve transfer procedure is meant to mitigate encountered phantom limb pain as the result of a completed amputation. Although data is supportive to concluding that TMR may be effective on limiting the severity of phantom limb pain, the study was concluded sooner than expected with a limited experimental group (Dumanian). However, there are other potential treatments and therapies to help manage the prominence of encountered pain.
In a research article published in sage journals, conducted by the prosthetics and orthotics international organization, mirror therapy and motor imagery are investigated, dissecting the potential effects of these practices on mitigating phantom limb pain. Visual feedback therapy is an intriguing process that encourages amputees to visualize the missing limb in a mirror and act out the motion that the are perceiving (Colmenero). The interesting component of this treatment regiment is the mental component compared to the actually physical procedure of TMR. The visual and mirror methods encourage the amputee to focus on the limb that is present, and to synchronize these sensations with the missing limb. This approach does not tangibly alter the effected area, rather it focuses on distraction and performance based results. The results of this scientific study concluded that mirror therapy and virtual visual feedback proved effective in reducing the severity or repetition of phantom limb pain (Colmenero). This conclusion derives from the reported data provided by the experimental groups, and claim of the reduction of pain or sensation in the phantom limb area.
The visual feedback methods of reducing phantom limb pain are incredibly intriguing, and should be investigated and tested further. The author goes on to state that scientists should pay more attention to the psychological effects of the amputation, and its role in contributing to perceived non existent pain (Colmenero). As science progresses and further treatments become readily available for those effected, the future is promising for those suffering from this unfortunate consequence of a surgical procedure.
(1) Laura Herrador Colmenero, Jose Manuel Perez Marmol. “Effectiveness of Mirror Therapy, Motor Imagery, and Virtual Feedback on Phantom Limb Pain Following Amputation: A Systematic Review - Laura Herrador Colmenero, Jose Manuel Perez Marmol, Celia Martí-García, María De Los Ángeles Querol Zaldivar, Rosa María Tapia Haro, Adelaida María Castro Sánchez, María Encarnación Aguilar-Ferrándiz, 2018.” SAGE Journals, Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 20 Nov. 2017, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0309364617740230?casa_token=siIVWvxqEtUAAAAA%3Amvrp6PI4g_KesKJJfwsXOREJl99PEHuEgy5fS0qW6olsI6irmjufLSntVzfkBL4Ml4jPqGRhIxgcOw.
(2) Dumanian, Greg. “Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Treats Neuroma and Phantom Pain in Major Limb Amputees: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Annals of Surgery, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2018, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30371518/.
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