Phantom Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Running head: PHANTOM PAIN
Phantom Pain
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Introduction
Phantom pain is pain that occurs after a body part has been amputated or removed.
Initially, phantom pain was perceived as a psychological problem. However, scientific researches
done over time have proven that phantom pain is a real pain sensation that comes from the brain
and spinal cord (Nikolajsen and Christensen, 2015). Phantom pain does not affect every person
who has had an amputation or a body part removed. The factors that predispose one to phantom
pain include the pain that one feels before amputation is carried out (Johnson, Mulvey and
Bagnall, 2015). This is likely due to the noble work of the brain. Before amputation, the brain
stores pain signals which are reflected even after the body part is cut off. For instance, a patient
who has had pain in his/her limb may experience this pain even after it is amputated because the
brain still holds and sends pain signals. Another factor that predisposes one to phantom pain is a
section of a body part that is left after amputation (Johnson, Mulvey and Bagnall, 2015). Patients
who have had a section of their limb amputated may continue experiencing pain in the remaining
section as well as phantom pain. This is due to growth in the nerve endings which are damaged
after amputation, resulting to very painful activity of the nerves.
In Australia, most limb amputations are performed following blocked arteries which
prevent enough blood flow into the affected area (Dumanian et al, 2019). This is mostly as a
result of complications of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure
and excessive smoking. Diabetes is however the most common condition that would make an
amputation necessary. In the United States, there were 1.6 million people who were living with
amputated limbs in the year 2005. Studies reveal that this number is likely to rise to 3.6 million
by 2050. The same statistics have it that 60% to 85% of patients who are amputated experience
phantom pain (Richardson and Kulkarni, 2017). This review is therefore aimed at studying

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literature on the causes and symptoms of phantom pain as well as skillfully recognizing methods
to treat it, so that we can rid ourselves of this menace.
Causes and symptoms of Phantom pain
Phantom pain appears to come from the brain and spinal cord but its exact cause is not
clearly known. When a patient feels phantom pain, the sections/portions of the brain that had
been connected to the nerves in the part of the body that has been amputated are recorded to
show activity during scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission
tomography (PET) (Ramachandran and Brang, 2016). Phantom pain is said to be a response of
missed signals in the brain. After a body part is cut off, the input that was being passed to the
brain and spinal cord is halted and this results in the brain and spinal cord adjusting to the change
in ways that are least predictable (Dwornik, Weiß, Hofmann and Brückner, 2015).
There are studies that show that the brain may transfer the sensory wiring of an
amputated body part to another part as a way of it adjusting to the change. Since the sensory
information cannot be processed in the amputated area, the information is taken to another body
part. For example, when the left arm is touched, it is like the amputated right arm is being
touched. This results in pain since the sensory wires are dispatched and entangled. The factors
that contribute to phantom pain include a scar tissue at the section where amputation has been
done, damaged nerve endings and pain in the area of amputation before it took place.
The symptoms of phantom pain include moderate to severe pain that is not consistent or
in some patients, it may be prolonged. Onset of pain within the first few days after amputation;
in some patients, the onset of phantom pain can be delayed several days such as months or more.
Another symptom includes perception of pain that is described as burning, shooting, pricking