A phantom limb is when a body part is amputated, but the brain still gives the person the feeling that it is still there. Most people who experience this have phantom limb pain. Phantom limb pain is pain that is felt in the amputated limb even though it is not physically present. This mind-boggling phenomenon is called phantom limb syndrome and most amputees experience it.
Phantom limb syndrome was first discovered in 1500’s by a French military surgeon named Amboise Pare. He noticed that the amputee soldiers complained of pain or sensations in the limb that was no longer there.
We now know that “virtually all amputees experience phantom sensations, painful or not, after limb amputation. Non‐painful phantom sensations rarely pose a clinical problem. However, in some amputees, the phantom becomes the site of severe pain, which may be exceedingly difficult to treat” (Br. J. Anaesth).
How can a medical …show more content…
R. gives the brain the illusion that the amputated arm is still there. The person puts the non-amputated arm in the box with the mirror and when the person looks into the box, it’s as if they are seeing both limbs. “The mirror image of the normal body part helps reorganize and integrate the mismatch between proprioception and visual feedback of the removed body. Thus, enhancing the treatment effect for phantom limb pain” (Sae Young Kim, MD, Yun Young Kim, MD). This is claimed to be the most effective treatment by many amputees. In the YouTube Video, the young man claimed that the box did indeed help with his phantom pain. This is because “ In this sense, a patient with phantom limb pain can feel the same sense or emotion of his/her normal body part by observing the mirror image. By doing so, it is expected to decrease pain by resolving conflict between motor intention, proprioception and visual system.” Mirror therapy has become the treatment of choice because it is easy to use. It can be done at home at the convenience of the