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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffMost people who have had a limb removed report that it sometimes feels as if their amputated limb is still there. This painless phenomenon, known as phantom limb sensation, can also occur in people who were born without limbs. Phantom limb sensations may include feelings of cold, warmth, itchiness or tingling — but should not be confused with phantom pain. Similarly, pain from the remaining stump of an amputated limb is not phantom pain. By definition, phantom pain comes from a body part that no longer remains.
The sensation of pain from an amputated limb is the defining symptom of phantom pain. Characteristics of phantom pain include:
- Onset within the first few days of amputation
- Tendency to come and go rather than be constant
- Seeming to come from the part of the limb farthest from the body, such as the foot of an amputated leg
- May be described as shooting, stabbing, boring, squeezing, throbbing or burning
- May be triggered by weather changes, pressure on the remaining part of the limb or emotional stress
- Pain: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chronic_pain/detail_chronic_pain.htm. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Dillingham TR, et al. Upper limb amputations. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:595.
- Mosaku KS, et al. Psychological reactions to amputation in a sample of Nigerian amputees. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2009;31:20.
- Ramachandra VS, et al. The use of visual feedback, in particular mirror visual feedback, in restoring brain function. Brain. 2009;132:1693.
- Radbruch L. Pain in cancer survivors. In: Walsh D, et al. Palliative Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/155581031-4/0/2038/259.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05674-8..50258-9--chapter1. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Jeffries GE. Post-amputation pain. Amputation Coalition of America. http://www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/mar_apr_98/pain_mgt/page1.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Chan BL, et al. Mirror therapy for phantom limb pain. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;357:2206.
- McNutt S. New paths in phantom limb pain treatment. Amputation Coalition of America. http://www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/mar_apr_07/phantom_treatment.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Cancer pain syndromes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Acupuncture for pain. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/acupuncture-for-pain.htm. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Phantom pain: An update. Amuptee Coaltion. http://www.amputee-coalition.org/communicator/vol3no1pg3.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Fast facts on amputation/phantom limb pain. American Pain Foundation. http://www.painfoundation.org/learn/library/pain-conditions/amputation/fast-facts-amputation.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Giustozzi AA. Chronic pain management. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/155122192-13/876983605/1701/135.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50006-9--cesec586_2770. Accessed Aug. 21, 2009.
- Martin DP (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 26, 2009.
