Phantom Pain and Therapy

Phantom limb pain after the cessation of a limb as if the cut remains in place and continue to ache as if pain. Usually occurs after arm or leg cuts. However, the breast, eye, or removed from operations in the intestine may also occur after the last. In addition, those without phantom pain in the innate arm or leg may occur. After discontinuation of an organ in the body for any reason the situation arises in three different pain.

Phantom pain: pain in the cut
Stump pain: Limb pain after discontinuation of the remaining piece
Phantom sensation: a sense of coverage of the cut limb still. Along with burning and tingling may be present.

Weather changes in phantom pain, limb after cessation of pressure on the remaining tracks, for reasons such as emotional stress and fatigue triggered. The pain starts a few days after the operation. Some patients show a decrease over time gets away, sometimes for many years may continue. The cause of phantom pain is not known. Previously, due to the pain of psychological origin, they do not receive the patient's injury was thought to be a pain to psychological causes are not fully uncovered the source of pain research. Related pain, the pain centers of the brain revealed by this thought.
Cessation of the arm or leg pain for a long time ago about phantom pain is more common in patients suffering from.

Phantom Therapy

Phantom pain is very difficult to treat. Primarily used in the treatment of various drugs. There is no specific drug to treat phantom pain. Many different drugs can be tried. One patient from a good a drug a patient might not work for another. Drug treatment of calcitonin, a variety of drugs, depression, epilepsy drugs, morphine-derived painkillers and tried some other drugs.

TENS can be applied in patients refractory to drug treatment. TENS electrodes pasted to the skin by giving electrical stimulation interruption of pain transmission. TENS is effective in pain in the stump, not phantom pain. However, the presence of stump pain and phantom limb pain, TENS may increase the benefit. Local anesthetic injections can be made ​​for the same purpose.

TENS did not improve, and interventional therapy in patients not responding to drug treatment. Sympathetic nerve block may be tried for this purpose, thin electrodes are placed through the spinal cord, can be given a battery or a deep brain electrical stimulation can be alert.

Despite all of these methods may be resistant to treatment, sometimes all of phantom pain. In this case, the patient can deal with is to learn how to do with pain. Pain is a way to direct attention away from other places. Reading books or listening to music can be useful for this purpose. Exercise, swimming, activities such as walking to stay physically fit to be felt less pain. To receive psychological counseling and therapy groups also attended by patients with phantom limb pain to participate in other beneficial.