Phantom pain
Phantom pain occurs when a part of the body (usually a limb) is amputated, but the patient feels pain in that part Doctors used to think that phantom pain was caused by post-operative psychological causes, but now it is known that the pain is real and is caused by the spinal cord and brain.
Phantom pain develops in people who have had a limb amputated, although the disease can also develop after other surgical interventions, such as mastectomy, penis, eye or tongue amputation.
In some patients, phantom pain is relieved after treatment In others, management of phantom pain is difficult Together with the doctor, it is possible to find effective ways using medicines and other therapeutic means
The exact cause of phantom pain is unknown, but the pain begins in the spinal cord and brain In studies such as magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography, parts of the brain that were neurologically connected to the limb show increased activity when the patient describes pain.
Many experts believe that phantom pain is partially explained by brain signals After an amputation, the parts of the spinal cord that connected the limb and nearby spinal cord tissues try to adapt to the amputated limb in unpredictable ways. As a result, the nerves send a signal - pain, because there is a "problem" in the limb.
Studies show that after amputation, the corresponding nerve pathways of the amputated limb may "move" to another part of the body. Since the amputated area no longer receives signals about sensitivity, this information is transferred "elsewhere", for example, after amputation of the hand to the cheek, etc. Sh
As a result, when the patient touches the cheek, he feels a non-existent limb Since it is a disorder of the nerve pathways, the result can be pain
Other factors contribute to phantom pain, including damage to nerve endings, scar formation, or mental memory of pain prior to amputation.
After a limb is amputated, many patients report that they feel as if the limb is still in place This phenomenon, which is not accompanied by pain, is called phantom limb sensation and rarely occurs even in patients who are born without limbs.
Phantom limb sensation may be associated with sensations of cold, heat, itching, or numbness, but not phantom pain. The pain sensation is called phantom pain According to the definition, the pain is phantom, if the painful place, the limb is amputated
Phantom pain is characterized by:
- Starting a few days after amputation
- Disappearing and appearing or prolonging, permanence
Phantom pain often affects the farthest part of the limb, for example, after leg amputation, the ankle is often painful
The pain is described as
