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PHANTOM LIMB PAIN USUALLY EASES BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE
Did You Know That Phantom Limb Pain Can Last For Years?
Some Amputees Still Report It Long After Their Surgery
Stress And Depression Likely Help It Persist
Researchers Have Spent Decades Testing Ways To Treat It
They Have Tried Medication And Surgery And Many Other Approaches
Reviews And Trials Of Those Treatments Have Found Mixed Results
One Reason Given Is A Lack Of Long Term Follow Up
The Authors Of One Review Called For That In Future Trials
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
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A WOMAN WHO LEARNED TO CONTROL HER PAIN 🌅
A 2024 Case Report Describes A 26 Year Old Woman
For Six Years She Had Debilitating Nerve Pain In Her Left Foot
Several Treatments Including Surgery Were Unsuccessful
On 28 June 2012 Her Leg Was Amputated Below The Knee
After The Amputation She Had Excruciating Phantom Limb Pain
Pain Medication Did Not Relieve It And Mirror Therapy Made It Worse
Three Months After The Amputation She Started A New Treatment In Italy
It Is Called Cognitive Multisensory Rehabilitation
She Had 35 Sessions Over 7 Weeks
In Them A Therapist Helped Her Remember How Both Feet Once Felt
One Memory Was Of Her Foot Sinking Into Sand On A Beach
It Was The First Time She Recalled Her Left Foot Feeling Normal
Before Treatment She Rated Her Pain 6.5 To 9.5 Out Of 10
Afterward Her Score For Nerve Pain Was 0
Muscle Pain After Exercise Scored 4 To 5.5
By March 2024 She Was Taking No Pain Medication
She Walked On Her Prosthesis Without Any Walking Aids
About Once A Week Her Pain Still Flared Up
It Often Came In The Evening After She Took Off Her Prosthesis
She Handled Each Flare Herself With Exercises From The Treatment
Each Time The Pain Eased Within 10 To 15 Minutes
The Authors Think The Treatment May Lead To Long Term Relief
Her Case Seems To Support That Idea
They Encourage Research In A Larger Group To Confirm It
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HOW THE PAIN CHANGES OVER TIME 📉
Groups Of Amputees Have Been Studied Over Months And Years
A 2019 Review Says The Pain Is Usually Reported In The First Week
After That It Generally Becomes Less Severe And Less Frequent
That Happens In Most People According To The Review
It Does Not Say The Pain Decreases In Everyone
A 2011 Review Says Fewer Amputees Are Reported To Have It Over Time
One Way To Test That Is To Survey The Same Amputees Repeatedly
A 2010 Study Did That At Several Medical Centers
Its Aim Was To Measure How Common Phantom Limb Pain Was Over Time
It Included One Hundred And Thirty Four Patients
Each Was Scheduled For An Amputation
The Patients Filled In Questionnaires Before The Operation
More Arrived By Post Starting Six Months After Surgery
The Last Ones Came Up To 3 And A Half Years Later
85 Of Those Patients Completed Questionnaires Before And After
The Later Questionnaires Measured How Often The Pain Occurred
Only Pain Felt A Few Times A Day Or More Was Counted
The Study Found That Phantom Limb Pain Decreased Over Time
Its Authors Listed Time Since Amputation As A Protective Factor
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AMPUTEES FROM UKRAINE OVER ONE YEAR 🎖️
A 2026 Study Included Amputees Wounded In The War In Ukraine
The Researchers Screened 177 People And Enrolled 156
99.4 Percent Of Them Were Men
Their Average Age Was 34.6
The Patients Were Assessed Again At 3 And 6 And 12 Months
By 12 Months 137 Were Still Taking Part
Their Phantom Limb Pain Was Rated On A Scale From 0 To 10
At The Start The Average Score Was 4.32
After 12 Months It Was 1.12
Every Patient Had Physical Therapy And Painkillers During The Study
The Study Had No Comparison Group
So No Single Treatment Can Be Credited With The Drop
The Authors Say Part Of The Drop May Be Natural Recovery
Amputees With No Pain After Amputation Were Also Excluded
So The Study Did Not Measure How Common The Pain Is
Its Pain Scores Were Averages Across The Whole Group
The Authors Call Improving With Treatment The Dominant Course
They Link Lasting Pain To Distress In Those Who Do Not Recover
Phantom Limb Pain Is Reported By Most Amputees At Some Point
It Is Pain Felt In The Limb That Was Amputated
Researchers Still Debate How Much Changes In The Brain Cause It
For Mirror Therapy A Covered Mirror Is Considered The Best Comparison
Mirror Therapy's Effect Disappeared Against It In One Review
The Pain Usually Eases Over Time But Not For Everyone
