Phantom pain is a hot topic in the amputee community. Approximately 50% to 80% of amputees report phantom limb pain. The Amputee Coalition had it as one of their main topics at the annual fall conference. I feel every amputee experiences this at some point during his or her amputation journey. The first experience comes when a patient has their amputation surgery. The sensations can range from burning, tingling, a feeling something is crushing your limb. The lightning bolts or shock waves, as some describe, may feel crippling.
Talking to your support team can help you manage this and live a comfortable pain free life. There are many different medications your surgeon and primary care physician can give you to help alleviate this. You can help to by utilizing desensitizing techniques from the first day post amputation. Your physical therapy team will work with you to get the benefits that desensitizing your limb can bring. This can consist of rubbing, patting with various forms of pressure, as well as using different types of fabrics, like a towel, to rub your limb with daily. The brain does not realize your limb is gone and the nerves are searching for the connection pathway the brain knows.
Click here for Amputee Coalition resources for phantom pain and pain management.
Pain management specialists are working constantly through research studies to discover better ways to get this condition under control so patients can live a pain free life. For amputees to go through such a traumatic surgery, to find they are suffering with another type of pain can be mentally devastating. It is a nerve driven pain requiring special approaches to help patients manage their phantom pain. This is why working closely with your care team is imperative. Your prosthetist needs to know what your pain level is so they can work with you as part of the team to get you up and walking.
Finding a support group, whether online or in person, can be a resource as patients can share their stories of how they handle phantom pain. Knowing you are not in this alone is an important part of recovery. We list support groups in the area on our website. You can start a local support group in your area as well. All it takes is reaching out! Let us know if you have a group so we can share your information.
These tips are informed suggestions. If you do not feel comfortable with them, please do not attempt them. Instead as always contact your medical professional or your prosthetist for help and advice.
If you have a question for me about living as an amputee, ask! And if I don’t know the answer, I will find it for you, and I will leave no stone unturned to help you find your own personal new normal. If there is a topic you would like me to feature please let me know! I want us all to grow strong together. Email me at Dawn@dankmeyer.com. This email is not secure, so if you wish to keep any specific health information private, you should call Dankmeyer!
Dawn Miranda joined Dankmeyer, Inc. over two years ago as a Prosthetist Assistant after relocating from San Antonio, TX. Dawn recently left Dankmeyer to return to nursing, but still lives in the area, and continues with us as a guest blogger.