what causes "phantom limb"?
Question:
Answers:
When a limb has been amputated, the main neural pathway may still be intact to that limb. Your nervous system branches down, with more nerve endings at the distal end (the furthest point- like fingers, toes etc.) and the main pathway runs to your spinal column. Neural activity continues in the areas which remain and can cause impulses of sensation to be interpreted as coming from the limb which is no longer there.
Other Answers:
Phantom limb is a phantom sensation in amputated or missing limbs. A phantom sensation is a feeling that a missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts. Approximately 50 to 80% of amputees experience these phantom sensations in their amputated limb. Phantom sensations and phantom pain may also occur after the removal of body parts other than the limbs, e.g. after amputation of the breast, extraction of a tooth (phantom tooth pain) or removal of an eye (phantom eye syndrome).
Phantom pains can also occur in people who are born without limbs and people who are paralyzed. Phantom pains occur when the missing limb causes discomfort. Some other sensations include warmth, cold, itching, squeezing and burning. The missing limb often feels shorter and may feel as if it is in a distorted and painful position. Occasionally, the pain can be made worse by stress, anxiety and weather changes.
Some treatments include drugs such as antidepressants. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can be a very effective treatment for phantom pain. An electrical stimulator is implanted under the skin, and an electrode is placed next to the spinal cord. The nerve pathways in the spinal cord are stimulated by an electric current. This interferes with the impulses travelling towards the brain and lessens the pain felt in the phantom limb. Instead, amputees feel a tingling sensation in the phantom limb.
Vibration therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis and biofeedback may all be used to treat phantom pain but are often of little help. The pain can sometimes be helped by keeping busy and occupying your mind. Massaging the stump can sometimes help. The pain can often be prevented by the application of not only a general but also a local anaesthesia while amputating a limb
The remaining portion of nerves from the severed limb still sending signals to the brain, making you feel as if that limb is still there. Phantom limb syndrome: The perception of sensations, usually including pain, in an arm or leg after the limb has been amputated. The brain still gets messages from the nerves that originally carried impulses from the missing limb. Phantom limb syndrome is relatively common in amputees, especially in the early months and years after limb loss.
More Questions and Answers
- How long can the plantar's wart HPV virus live outside the body?
- What's that small hard lump in my hand?
- can anyone find easy Way to deal with this heat?
- Is a clean colon the secret to health and vitality?
- What happens to the portion of the umbilical cord that's inside the body after birth?
- Help needed for Insomnia?
- what is fungomycosis?
- why do people have eyebrows?