Phantom limb sensation

An individual s body image may be very stable. An intriguing example of this is the phantom limb phenomenon. When an arm or a leg is amputated, the patient almost always reports he can still feel the limb, even though he can see and otherwise intellectually know it is not there. Sensations coming in from the severed nerve tracts are nonconsciously organized in the learned, habitual way so that the patient perceives the limb as still there. Most patients soon lose perception of their phantom limbs as they are subjected to considerable social pressure to do so. In some, however, the phantom limb persists in spite of all attempts to unlearn it. The sensations may or may not be painful. 

Phantom pain is pain that appears to arise from an amputated limb or body part as many as 70% of amputees experience phantom pain. This pain may begin with sensations of tingling, heat and cold, or heaviness, followed by burning, cramping, or shooting pain. Phantom pain may disappear spontaneously or persist for many years. 

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