Phantom Limb Syndrome

Gertler clarifies that pain refers to the sensation and not the common cause, which is C-fibers firing in a specific area with tissue damage. (109) She asserts that pain is not essentially connected to tissue damage of a particular location, indicating to me inadequate understanding of the concept. If one pinches one's arm, though the sensation of pain may not be necessarily located in the arm, I contend that the pain felt is relevantly connected to the location pinched. Gertler provides the alleviating effect of painkillers as an example of a non-essential feature of pain. (117) Location is unlike this property, however, and is essential in conceptualizing pain. For instance, even an amputee, who had a leg removed and experiences a phantom leg-pain, is unable to describe the sensation they feel without making reference to a specific body part. Whether or not the pain is actually “located” anywhere is irrelevant, it matters only that the pain is conceptualized as having a location. Our understanding of pain relies fundamentally on where the pain is thought to be “located.” The fact that it is impossible to conceive of pain without reference to the “location” of the sensation proves that location is an essential feature of

Periodic Paralysis Syndrome is a blanket term for a couple of inherited muscular disorders. The most common types are hypokalemic periodic paralysis and hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. Both of these are inherited and generally present from childhood, tho it is possible for symptoms to start showing later in adolescence. In hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, high levels of potassium in the blood interact with genetically caused abnormalities in sodium channels (pores that allow the passage of sodium molecules) in muscle cells, resulting in temporary muscle weakness and, when severe, in temporary paralysis. This disease may be caused by genetic defects in either the calcium channel or the sodium channel. Hypokalemic disease may be caused by genetic defects in either the calcium channel or the sodium channel (Medline Plus).

Over the years scientists have noted many complaints of a strange form of pain called phantom limb pain. This pain is strange because it is located in an appendage that no longer exists. By many of the amputees the pain is described as totally unbearable. Phantom limb pain has even driven some victims crazy. For the amputee population this is a very real problem that definitely needs to be solved.

Kathy, a 20-year-old woman, awakens one morning to a tingling, numb sensation covering both of her feet. This has happened to her a number of times throughout the year. In the past, when experiencing this sensation, within a couple of days to a week the numbness would subside, and so she is not too concerned. About a week later, she

The phantom limb pain the woman is experiencing is described as a painful condition of the amputated limb after the stump has completely healed. It is a chronic pain that occurs in more than 80% of amputees especially those who suffered pain in the limb before the amputation. Theories suggest that phantom limb pain results from redevelopment or hyperactivity of cut peripheral nerves, scar tissue or neuroma formation in the cut peripheral nerves, spinal cord deafferentation, and alterations in the thalamus and cortex. More so, the CNS integration, which involves reorganization and plastic modifications of the somatosensory cortex, effects the receptors in perceiving the pain of the amputated limb despite of the limb itself being absent. In addition,

Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) is a serious condition that occurs when a person who has lost a part of their body though amputation, trauma (brachial plexus), or loss of nervous connections in an appendage, perceives that the limb is still there and experiences sensations coming from this area. It was first described in 1866 by S. Weir Mitchell, an American neurologist, through a short story published in Atlantic Monthly. While Mitchell may then have wondered if this was specific to wounded Civil War soldiers, it has since been established as quite common (1). Over 70% of amputees report phantom limb pain for years after amputation (2). Several theories have been proposed regarding PLP, although there is still much to be

The earliest hypothesis regarding the cause of phantom limbs and pain was that of neuromas. These were thought to be nodules comprised of remaining nerves located at the end of the stump. These neuromas presumably continued to generate impulses that traveled up the spinal cord to portions of the thalamus and somatosensory domains of the cortex. As a result, treatment involved cutting the nerves just above the neuroma in an attempt to interrupt signaling at each somatosensory level (5). This and other related theories were deemed unsatisfactory because of the fact the phantom pain always returned, indicating that there was a more complex reason.

I am interested in the study of phantom limbs because it is an interesting phenomena where someone can feel something that is not there. In the module 3 quiz and the reading for that quiz this topic was introduced to me and it intrigued my interest. It is also really intriguing that they sometimes feel pain related to their incidents before or during surgical and nonsurgical amputations(where it was removed by the incident or afterwards by a surgeon). I feel that it would be particularly interesting if someone's pain was directly connected to the last moments of that limb being attached where neurons were responding to what was going on. Another question that is on my mind about this topic is that what if the phantom limb experience is

When I heard about Miguel, a close family friend was in an accident, the first thing I did was prayed for his survival. Thankfully, he did survive, however, both his legs did not. He was in a motorcycle accident. He was hit by a drunk driver driving a SUV, and flew off his bike onto oncoming traffic. A semi trailer was unable to come to a complete stop before making contact with Miguel. When the trailer finally managed to stop, Miguel was stuck under the back wheels. After being rushed to the hospital, it was decided it was best to amputate both his legs. Reconstruction was not an option. Both his legs were inoperable (L. Rodriguez, personal communication, July 4, 2014). After the surgery, once Miguel had finally awakened, he wasn’t immediately informed about his situation. According to Miguel, he remembers feeling sharp pains and cramping on both his legs. He struggled finding a comfortable position to rest his legs in order to minimize the pain (M. Rodriguez, personal communication, September 16, 2014).

Restless leg syndrome, or also known as RLS and Willis-Ekbom Disease, is a neurological condition in which one experiences unpleasant sensations in the legs. The term RLS was introduced by a doctor named Karl-Axel Ekbom. Ekbom had a large number of patients complaining of “peculiar and tormenting paraesthesias deep in the lower legs” which led him to find out more. In 1944 he had already reported 8 patients with the same type of symptoms and by 1945 he had published a doctoral thesis called “Restless legs’: ‘a clinical study of a hitherto overlooked disease in the legs characterized by peculiar paraesthesia (‘Anxietas tibiarum’), pain and weakness and occurring in two main forms, asthenia crurum paresthetica and asthenia crurum dolorosa”

Prosthetic limbs have been around for centuries, but what is one thing they all have in common? They have all been a nuisance. In recent years technology of the modern day Prosthesis has ventured to new heights, but they have not perfected an artificial limb yet. With the amount of people in need of prosthetic limbs, the demand for a perfect prosthesis is tremendous. The perfect prosthesis shouldn’t feel or even look like an artificial limb. Prosthetics should go unnoticed throughout the rest of the amputee’s life.

The infamous aching of heads, backs, legs, and feet everywhere can be attributed primarily to one of two factors: muscular atrophy or general weakness and fascial adhesions (pooling). These factors can require a great deal of time and energy of the therapist to overcome so must be addressed headlong. Numbness of the body can be many different symptoms all pointing to the overall casual factors within the nervous system. These are symptoms that took the longest to become prevalent and will take time to remove poor habits that caused them to exist. Burning in the body can be indicative of two primary factors; overstretching of the nerves and muscles locally or an impaction of a joint causing nerve dysfunction. Either occurrence can be labeled as paresthesia, whether the condition is transient or chronic is important as well as location and possible referral patterns. Visceral “feeling” refers to any idiopathic symptom or pain felt within the cavities of the body, especially the abdomen. Knowing if there are visceral symptoms assists in establishing a duration of treatment and aggressiveness of

Sacks discussed the ideas behind the phantom limb and how they affected many peoples live. The most interesting story was about a sailor that accidentally cut off his index finger. For forty years he thought he would poke himself in the eye whenever he moved his hand to his face. One day he lost the feeling in his entire hand including his phantom finger and his problem was cured (Sacks 66-67). Up to 70 percent of amputees confirmed that they still feel or still thought a missing limb was there. They often feel that they can reach out and grab something. Some won't sleep in a certain way because they feel the missing limb between them and the mattress. The sensations felt stem from the activity of the sensory axons

An extensive matrix of neurons in the brain gives us the sense of our own bodies and body parts. Pain results when this matrix produces an abnormal pattern of activity, as a result of memories, emotions, expectations or signals from various brain centres and not just from signals from peripheral nerves. Because of the lack of sensory stimulation or a person’s efforts to move a nonexistent limb, abnormal patterns may arise, resulting in phantom pain.

Phantom limb pain is a painful sensation experienced in a body part which is no longer part of the body, often due to amputation.(3) Individuals also reported that tingling as well as various types of pain have occurred, and these sensations may eventually disappear or may persist as cramping, shooting, burning or crushing