Dorothy FarrarPhantomschmerz
Phantom pain is a type of pain that usually occurs after an amputation. It is characterized by the painful area appearing to be outside the body. The course of the disease depends on the treatment method.
What is phantom pain?
Phantom pain is a type of pain that occurs after an amputation. They appear to be in the amputated body part and thus outside the body. This phenomenon is caused by misdirected nerve stimuli and can be treated by redirecting the pain. Phantom pain can also be prevented to a certain extent.
causes
The cause of phantom pain has not yet been clearly clarified. What is certain, however, is that they occur as a result of amputations . The stimulus pattern, which is transmitted to the brain via the spinal cord, changes as a result of an amputation, but does not disappear completely. However, it is possible to redirect the stimuli to the residual limb through training.
The strength and intensity of phantom limb pain largely depends on how severe the pain in the removed limb was prior to surgery. The nerves store the original pain and continue to send out pain stimuli even after the operation. The symptoms are exacerbated by increased muscle tension or insufficient blood flow in the residual limb.
Existing residual limb pain can also intensify the actual phantom pain.
The cause of phantom pains is therefore predominantly amputations. Depending on the patient’s mental state, the pain will be more or less intense.
When to the doctor?
Phantom pain is completely normal after amputation of a limb or other body part. About 70 percent of patients are affected. However, a doctor should be consulted when phantom limb pain first occurs, as only immediate treatment can prevent the condition from becoming chronic or becoming extreme.
In phantom pain, the brain sends signals into the missing limb and receives no response. This process is repeated until the brain interprets the lack of response signals as injury and responds with pain. In this way, a “pain memory” can develop, which should be prevented at all costs. Various treatment methods are available to a doctor, but the earlier the therapy is started, the more promising it is.
In addition, phantom limb pain can occur even when the affected limb is still intact. This particularly affects people with symptoms of paralysis . Patients who suffer from paraplegia or tetraplegia and suddenly feel stabbing pain in parts of the body that are actually insensible should therefore consult a doctor as soon as possible. A doctor must also be consulted in the event of phantom pain as a result of a cerebral infarction .
symptoms and course
Phantom pain is expressed by a wide variety of symptoms. These are usually severe pain attacks that occur at regular intervals. The pain is felt as stabbing, cramping and burning and is usually similar to the pain that existed before the amputation.
Phantom pain can be recognized by the fact that it cannot be precisely localized. Especially in the case of phantom pains that occur as a result of an amputation, the painful limb is usually no longer there. Counteracting the pain stimuli is correspondingly difficult. Phantom pain can be very different.
If it is typical phantom pain, the symptoms are very long-lasting and can recur even after recovery. In principle, quick action has a positive influence on the course and leads to an improvement in the symptoms in about 60 percent of cases. If you do not react in time, the perception of pain can develop into a chronic disorder.
Diagnose
Phantom pain can be clearly diagnosed by a doctor. For this it is necessary that the doctor carries out a thorough anamnesis and clarifies various questions within this. In this way he tries to find out whether the pain stimuli felt are actually located in the part of the body that is no longer there. It is also often the case that so-called residual limb pain is mistakenly perceived as phantom pain. In addition, the exact position, intensity, radiation and duration of the pain stimuli are determined. With the help of the medical file, the doctor can find out which treatment measures have already taken place and what the result was. A pain diary written by the person concerned is just as helpful.
After the anamnesis, there is usually already a concrete suspicion, which can be confirmed during the physical examination. X-ray examinations , an MRI or an angiography are carried out for this purpose . It is also important to examine the amputated area and identify any inflammation or hardening. This is how phantom pain can be diagnosed in most cases.
complications
Phantom pain is like a memory of a distant body part that is still very real because of the pain. So it comes from a part of the body that is no longer there – but that doesn’t mean that the phantom limb pain is imaginary or even easy to bear. Phantom pain is often a very severe pain, so those affected try to relieve the pain by taking medication, as is the habit. Since they have undergone an operation in any case, very strong pain medication is available to them at least for the time afterwards.
Many of these drugs are addictive, causing amputees to leave the hospital with a drug addiction. Even a procedure that is harmless in itself, such as the removal of an appendix, can result in phantom limb pain and all the associated complications.
Drug addiction is certainly one of the worst, driving patients to keep trying new pain medications and possibly engaging in criminal activities to obtain those drugs. Even if they don’t, phantom limb pain can lead to severe difficulty falling and staying asleep, severe irritability and aggression, and other health and social impairments.
Left untreated, phantom limb pain often ends in depression and similar serious mental illnesses that require targeted treatment and would not have occurred without the phantom limb pain.
treatment and therapy
Phantom pain can be remedied by different treatment methods. What these look like in detail depends on the severity and duration of the pain. As a rule, various medications are prescribed to suppress the pain. Strong stimuli are treated with opiates and morphine, mild pain with appropriate painkillers. In any case, the painkillers must be prescribed by a doctor.
In addition, drugs such as capsaicin ointment or calcitonin infusions are used. In both cases, the skin’s sensitivity to touch is reduced, thereby reducing pain. Local anesthetics are also effective. These are injected and prevent the transmission of excitation.
A number of physical measures are also applied. With trigger point infiltration, for example, the phantom pain is reduced by treating specific pain points in the muscles. With TENS (transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation), the pain stimuli are suppressed by electrical current.
Massage and physiotherapy in general are an important part of treating phantom limb pain. They strengthen the body feeling and can thus significantly reduce the formation of pain. In addition to mirror therapy, in which the brain is fooled into thinking that the body part is still there, additional measures such as acupuncture , hypnosis and biofeedback are particularly successful.
So there are a number of measures that can help against phantom pain. Whether these are successful also depends on the psychological state of the patient. People with depression or other disorders are more prone to severe phantom limb pain and need to be treated by a therapist as part of therapy.
prevention
Phantom pain can only be prevented to a limited extent. It makes sense to start pain therapy immediately after the amputation . Pain can be avoided with electrical stimulation as well as with a well-fitting prosthesis. Early treatment of the first stimuli also contributes to prevention. Once the pain is severe, it becomes difficult to reduce it. It is therefore essential to carry out pain therapy and, in addition, physiotherapy. In principle, it is not possible to prevent possible phantom pain before an amputation.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.