What are the four main theories for phantom limb pain?
Weir Mitchells phantom limbs. They are the Central or Gate theory, the Peripheral theory, and the Psychologic theory.
What theory best explains phantom limb pain?
Through a principle known as ‘Hebb’s Law’ — ‘neurons that fire together, wire together’ — neurons in the sensorimotor and pain perception networks become entangled, resulting in phantom limb pain.
Which medication is the most effective for phantom limb pain?
Medications used in the treatment of phantom pain include: Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) might relieve phantom pain. Take these medications only as directed by your doctor.
Who discovered phantom limb pain?
Since the phantom limb sensation was first described by the French military surgeon Ambroise Pare in the 16th century, the number of studies surrounding phantom limb pain has increased every year.
Which part of the brain is involved in the phantom limb syndrome?
A popular theory of the cause of phantom limb pain is faulty ‘wiring’ of the sensorimotor cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for processing sensory inputs and executing movements. In other words, there is a mismatch between a movement and the perception of that movement.
Is phantom limb pain psychological or physiological?
Overview. Phantom pain is pain that feels like it’s coming from a body part that’s no longer there. Doctors once believed this post-amputation phenomenon was a psychological problem, but experts now recognize that these real sensations originate in the spinal cord and brain.
What part of the brain is responsible for phantom limbs?
Does gabapentin help phantom limb pain?
Gabapentin is reported to have an analgesic effect of reducing phantom-limb pain (PLP) in adult patients.
Why is it called phantom pain?
What is the science behind phantom limb?
Traditional theories suggest that phantom limb pain arises from “maladaptive plasticity”, whereby a change in the brain results in a negative, or maladaptive, outcome. According to this theory, neighbouring body parts “invade” the missing hand area, creating a signal mismatch that is interpreted as painful.
Is phantom limb pain neuropathic?
Phantom limb pain is considered a neuropathic pain, and most treatment recommendations are based on recommendations for neuropathic pain syndromes. Mirror therapy, a relatively recently proposed therapy for phantom limb pain, has mixed results in randomized controlled trials.
What triggers phantom limb?
Experts believe phantom pain results from a mix-up in nervous system signals, specifically between the spinal cord and brain. When a body part is amputated, the nerve connections from the periphery to the brain remain in place.
How long does mirror therapy take to work?
Mirror therapy helps relieve this pain (after numerous sessions) by helping the brain recognize and “feel” the arm. As a result, the pain decreases in as little as 3 weeks.
Will phantom pain ever go away?
Phantom pain does eventually go away with time. Many people find their pain has decreased by about 75 percent or more within two years after amputation surgery. If it does return, talk to your doctor. There may be an underlying problem — such as a neuroma (nerve overgrowth) — triggering the sensation.
How long does phantom pain last?
The length of time this pain lasts differs from person to person. It can last from seconds to minutes, to hours, to days. For most people, PLP diminishes in both frequency and duration during the first six months, but many continue to experience some level of these sensations for years.
Is mirror therapy effective for phantom limb pain?
In 2007, results from a randomized controlled trial of mirror therapy was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings from this study showed that mirror therapy was effective for reducing phantom pain after 4 weeks of regular practice.
What is the latest research on phantom limb pain?
The vast amount of research over the past decades has significantly added to our knowledge of phantom limb pain. Multiple factors including site of amputation or presence of preamputation pain have been found to have a positive correlation with the development of phantom limb pain.
What is the pathophysiology of Phantom Pain in the CNS?
In the past decade, evidence has accumulated that phantom pain might be a phenomenon of the CNS that is related to plastic changes at several levels of the neuraxis and especially the cortex. Here, we discuss the evidence for putative pathophysiological mechanisms with an emphasis on central, and in particular cortical, changes.
What is the mechanism of phantom limb perception?
Another proposed mechanism of PLP is based on the “body schema” concept that was originally proposed by Head and Holmes in 1912. The body schema can be thought of as a template of the entire body in the brain and any change to the body, such as an amputation, results in the perception of a phantom limb [ 31 ].
Phantom limb pain is considered a neuropathic pain, and most treatment recommendations are based on recommendations for neuropathic pain syndromes. Mirror therapy, a relatively recently proposed therapy for phantom limb pain, has mixed results in randomized controlled trials.