Preventing phantom limb pain

In research presented at the annual British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) Scientific Meeting in Belfast, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Craig Nightingale, highlighted how a surgical technique can improve outcomes in patients undergoing limb amputation. He revealed how targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), which is usually only carried out after the patient has suffered with chronic pain for months or years, can be carried out at the time of the amputation, taking just minutes.

Following amputation, the nerves that used to go into the limb are cut but still alive, sending signals that have nowhere to go. This can cause phantom limb pain, as well as burning, cramping and shooting sensations, often affecting work, social life, sleep and meaning the patient has to take pain medication. However, TMR, crucially done at the time of the amputation, connects the cut nerve to a smaller unused nerve that goes into a nearby muscle. This sends the nerve signals into a muscle instead of misfiring.

With 85% of people who undergo limb amputation reporting chronic pain and/or phantom limb pain, which can be severe and life-limiting, this procedure gives them a greater chance of returning to work sooner, living independently without requiring pain medication, and allows them the time to get used to wearing a prosthesis without the burden of chronic pain.