Pain Relief For Amputees

Cnn.com reports a therapy to reduce painful "phantom limb pain" using a mirror system.

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Often diabetics who have a limb amputated are tormented by a pain sensed as coming from the missing limbs. It is believed that around 95% amputees suffer different levels of "phantom limb pain". The length of time suffered also varies.

Phantom limb pain is not well understood and is believed caused by the following:

• The brain (sensory cortex) has a map of the entire body. The nerves of the body are wired to their location on map;

•With no signals coming to the brain from the missing leg, the nerves rewire themselves (cortical reorganization). That is, the neurons invade nearby locations in the brain.

•Or neurons from nearby sites invade the now map site vacant of incoming signals.

The result maybe confusion and chaos as the brain sends signals and searches for signals from the missing leg.

Speak with your doctor about this approach to "phantom limb pain" relief.