Phantom pain

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. 

A second theory of phantom pain suggests that second-order neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord become hyperactive. Spontaneous firing of these neurons causes transmission of nerve impulses to the brain and the perception of pain. 

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Pain resulting from non-inflammatory dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system without nociceptor stimulation or trauma. Examples include post-herpetic neuralgia, complex regional pain syndromes, phantom pain and trigeminal neuralgia. 

Relief of phantom pain, menstrual cramps, and other types of chronic pain (see De Smet,... 

Ben Abraham R, Marouani N, Kollender Y, Meller I, Weinbroum AA. Dextromethorphan for phantom pain attenuation in cancer amputees a double-blind crossover trial involving three patients. Clin J Pain 2002 18(5) 282-5. 

The potential of FES to restore function in these areas has been largely unfulfilled mostly due to the limitations of the FES devices currently available. FES could also be used in limb loss applications to reduce phantom pain and to restore functional movement of prosthetic limbs. In 2000/2001, about... 

R. A. Sherman (1996), Phantom Pain, Plenum Press, New York. 

Up to 80 percent of amputees experience phantom pain, intermittent severe pain in the missing limb. Once thought to be psychological in origin, this pain has been determined to most likely have a physiological cause. 

Phantom pain Pain from a specific site that no longer exists (e.g. amputated limb) or where there is no current injury... 

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