Amputation of a limb is one of the most severe pains a human being will experience.
It can lead to pain not just in the short term, but for even decades after the surgical procedure. This post-operation pain is called “phantom limb pain”, or post-amputation pain syndrome.
Medical research indicates that phantom limb pain occurs in up to 80% of amputees, and at least 75% of patients who develop phantom pain do so within the first week after amputation.
What is Phantom Limb Pain?
While it is not known what causes phantom limb pain, it is considered that this pain may be a result of the brain’s signalling that the limb is missing.
As a result, other body parts may create sensations, such as involuntary movements or vibrations, itching, changes in pressure or temperature.
Pain can also occur as a result of neuroma, a medical term for the situation where the nerve is cut and trapped in the suture line, creating pain in the limb stump.
What Does Phantom Limb Pain Feel Like?
Phantom limb pain feels different to different people.
It is usually a sporadic pain, that occurs in short bursts ranging from a couple of seconds to hours.
The pain sensations felt include a mixture of:
- Cramping or squeezing
- Tingling
- Burning pain
- Itching
- Sharp, shooting pain
- Like “pins and needles”
- Twisting
- Crushing
- Like an electric shock
Phantom limb pain can range in severity and how long it lasts. For some people it may also spread to healthy areas of their body.
Pain Management
Pain management after amputation can be challenging. It can affect many people in our community – women who have lost their breasts due to undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer, military staff who have lost a limb during combat, loss of limb due to diabetes, or accidents.
While there are no definitive predisposing factors to pain after an amputation, those who have a higher chance of developing phantom pain are:
- Older patients
- Those who endure multiple surgeries
- Severe preoperative pain
- Bilateral amputees
As well as early management of the residual limb stump, many post-surgical amputees also deal with post-amputation pain and the psychological impact of losing a limb.
When dealing with pain after amputation, reliance on medication such as opioids is not the answer.
A programme of early rehabilitation that focuses on active physical therapy has been proven by studies to be the most effective post-amputation pain management.
A long-term pain management strategy that focuses on addressing musculoskeletal weakness and imbalances, while also desensitizing the limb offers a better long-term outcome.
The added benefit of this physical therapy approach is that it may offer a distraction while encouraging movement and increasing functionality.
Amputation Recovery
At Mosaic Health and Fitness, Gary Bates works with many patients who are dealing with chronic pain after losing a limb to amputation.
As well as being an active specialist for members of the Mates to Mates program, Gary works on a personal basis with Brisbane amputee patients.
He offers non-drug therapies to provide relief to the symptoms felt by those who have had a limb amputated.
- amputation rehabilitation to boost recovery time
- amputation physical therapy to reduce nerve pain and phantom pain to the amputation site
- exercise programs to improve mobility and help clients remain active
- assistance and advice with fitting an amputation prothesis
If you would like to talk to Gary about amputation exercises, or any form of physical therapy he may be able to assist you with, please contact him at Mosaic Health and Fitness.