Phantom Limb Pain Types, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Phantom limb pain occurs after amputation. It's hard to live with pain. Phantom limb pain can make you depressed or anxious, which are both very bad mental health issues. You may not be able to sleep well because of your pain. Pain can also make it hard to do things like hobbies and daily tasks. People who work in health care can help you deal with pain and feel better.

What is Phantom Limb Pain?

Phantom limb pain occurs in the amputation site. It might seem strange to feel pain in a dead body part, but it's real. Sometimes the pain from a limb is very bad, and it can last for seconds, hours, days, or even longer. Our pain management in Plano can treat phantom limb pain.

What are the Different Types of Phantom Pain?

After amputation, you may feel different sensations. Medical professionals call these sensations "phantom," referring to the missing arm or leg or removed part of a limb.

After amputation, you may:

• Phantom pain: Amputation causes limb pain.

• Phantom sensations: Your missing limb feels real. Touching, pressing on, or being hot, itchy, or vibrated doesn't hurt. While walking on two legs, you might not notice that one is missing.

• People who have lost a limb can feel pain, touch, pressure, itching, temperature, and vibrations. This is called phantom pain syndrome.

• After an amputation, the pain from the lost limb stays in the stump. 

How does Phantom Limb Pain Feel?

Phantom pain causes when you lose a limb. Possible symptoms include:

• Aching

• Burning

• Itching

• Numbness

• Pinching

• Tingling

• Stabbing

• Temperature shift

• Throbbing

• Twisting

When will Phantom Limb Pain Occur?

People who have lost a limb often feel pain that isn't there for six months. The pain usually gets less bad and happens less often after that. A study found that most people who have had a limb cut off are still in pain two years later.

Lower limb pain at night​ may worsen if you experience:

• Fatigue

• Stress

• Anxiety

• Depression

• An infection

• Blood flow issues

• Pressure or swelling on the stump

What Causes Phantom Limb Pain?

Many healthcare providers think limb pain is nervous system miscommunication. Nerves in the body send messages to the brain and spinal cord.  These signals prompt movement. Even though the nerves in the amputated body part are gone, the nerve connection remains. Amputations hurt, and your brain adapts to change. Your brain misinterprets signals, increasing sensitivity and pain. Following are the few other causes of limb pain:

• Bruising.

• Bone spurs or osteomyelitis.

• Neuroma inflammation.

• Pain from nerve damage.

• Low blood flow.

• Poor prosthesis fit.

• Bedsores/pressure injuries

• Skin/wound infections.

• Leg pain that doesn't go away and pain that stays can happen at the same time.

You feel like you're missing a limb after having a limb cut off because your brain rearranges sensory signals. All your life, your limbs get signals from your body.  After losing a limb, your brain has to learn again where to send signals. It takes time to learn. Phantom feelings happen when your body needs some time to get used to something new.

How is Phantom Limb Pain Diagnosed?

After a physical, a doctor can tell if a person has pain in a false limb. After that, the limb pain specialists in Dallas will check the skin around the cut. Other causes of pain can be ruled out with tests. If it's necessary, they may ask for blood or imaging tests. Because amputations can have an effect on your mental and emotional health, your doctor may suggest that you get a psychological evaluation.  An evaluation can help diagnose and treat limb pain caused by stress, anxiety, and depression. A proper diagnosis is essential for treating left lower limb pain.

Management and Treatment

Many patients seek relief for nerve compression or musculoskeletal right lower limb pain. Following are the treatments:

• Medications may be used to treat phantom limb pain.

• Mirror therapy.

• Phantom limb pain treatment​ includes TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation).

• Stimulate the spinal cord.

• Neurostimulation.

• Revision stump surgery offered in Waxahachie limb pain clinic.

One of these alternative treatments that may help with phantom pain is acupuncture. For example:

• Biofeedback

• Mindfulness

• Massage for health

• Mindfulness or meditation 

There are various methods to handle phantom pain, and your healthcare provider will assist you in picking the most appropriate one. You might require more than one treatment to feel better. Talking to a mirror can help with phantom limb pain. Being in front of a mirror during mirror therapy makes your brain believe that the limb you lost is still there. There is a mirror on the same side as the missing limb that shows you your healthy other limb.  

When you look in a mirror, your missing limb shows up. While you look in the mirror, the provider will lead movement exercises with the limb that isn't hurt. Your brain will think you have two healthy limbs after this. You move your limb every day for 20 minutes while looking at it in a mirror. Nerve signals don't get messed up because your brain doesn't think the limb is missing. This makes the pain less severe.  

What Drugs Treat Phantom Limb Pain?

Phantom limb pain medications will depend on your needs. NSAIDs are an example. Following are the medicines:

• Antidepressants.

• Gabapentin and pregabalin for seizures.

• Beta blockers (propranolol).

• Calcium channel blockers (nifedipine).

• Botulinum toxin B.

• Infusion of lidocaine or bupivacaine.

Side effects are possible with all medications. Your doctor will warn you of treatment side effects.

Conclusion