Amputations : PHANTOM LIMB

THE PHANTOM LIMB SENSATION

What is the Phantom Limb sensation?

The Phantom Limb sensation is a very common feeling among amputees, especially those with their upper limbs amputated. Even once their limbs have been removed, they still have the sensation that the limbs are attached to their body, and sometimes even feel that they are moving in response to the signals they receive. This is very common throughout the world with amputees and is known by the imaginary characters name, the Phantom limb. But this sensation is often confused with the phantom pain, which is also imaginary painful feeling of bitter cold, a burning sensation, a feeling of being squeezed and the like. This is common in people who have been disabled since birth.

Symptoms and Characteristics:

The phantom limb has been found through research work and surveys conducted by experts in the field, after they made detailed studies on the amputees behaviours. They have concluded that most of the amputees feel pain in varying degrees from the affected limb area, and in certain cases, the amputees also feel a twitching sensation of feel itchy in the area, even while moving the limb to perform any task. The phantom limb sensation was found to be very irregular and sporadic, coming across in short spasms time and again; and the pain related to this differs according to each individual’s mental state of mind. For example, the pain would vary with a feeling of nervousness, bitterness, strenuous pressures etc. the sensation even makes responses and changes according to the differences in the weather and temperature levels.

Dealing with the Problem:

The phantom limb sensation is a very much argued about topic of discussion among experts, and there have been many debates held on the subject. However, there has been no singular or like-minded bottom line occurring out of these discussions, as different people disagree with each other on the topic. There has never been a single unanimous solution to handling this problem. The solution that has come closest to a majority and is used widely even today is the use of drugs as a psychiatric medication. This is the most conventional way of dealing with the situation. However, many experts are of the view that a more novel approach is needed to tackle this problem, such as acupuncture, hypnosis and most often the mirror box technology which is a process that gives the amputee a visual aid in a simulated form so as to induce a virtual movement scheme without any pain caused. In recent time, this novel approach has been developed, using a virtual interface to create simulated effects so that the pain of the limbs is released.

Breakthroughs in Recent times:

Many researchers have felt that the best method to solve the Phantom limb problem will be a psychological counselling session conducted regularly by experienced psychologists. These sessions will have to focus on getting the amputee to accept the fact that their limb is no longer there, and to get used to the feeling of absence. In recent researches, a breakthrough was achieved when it was found out that the major cause of this sensation is the motor cortex of the body getting reorganised. With this new piece of information, researchers are now conducting analysis to achieve an insight into setting the motor cortex right.