Re: phantom limb pain
george boyer
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: phantom limb pain
Creator:
george boyer
Date:
5/15/1999
Text:
Ms. Parris - The first thing I would suggest (as a thoughtful amputee of some
seven years) is to undertake education of your 'client', and possibly of
yourself....a process which could also be called semantic cleansing....and
this is essentially to point out that after an amputation a person
experiences a great many strange and unusual sensations, SOME of which are
painful. The promiscuous use of the term stump pain is the greatest
generator of confusion about what the amputee is experiencing, because the
fear and anxiety surrounding the amputation experience results in defining
every unusual sensation as pain. Sensation does not equate to pain.
A bit of information about the brain and the nervous system. The part of the
brain which serves the foot and the leg is immediately adjacent to the part
of the brain which serves the bowel and the genitals. After the amputation
these two parts of the brain communicate in ways which were not apparent
before the surgery, evidenced by the fact that some events which occur in the
bowel or genitals are experienced as happening in the foot or leg. This is
unusual and probably startling but it is a mistake to define such as pain.
For example, leg amputees sometimes remark that the sensation of urination
seems to originate in the stump or phantom as well as in the usual place. A
possible helpful result of this transfer of feeling is that massage of the
pelvic areas can relieve some of the real pain and unpleasant sensations
which a new leg amputee experiences.
This is based on my own experience as well as the reports of many other leg
amputees. For arm amputees the uses of the transfer, which is their case is
to areas of the face, is less clear and remains to be reported on.
Experiments by Dr. V. Ramachandran demonstrate the phenomenon.....I can post
his (long) paper for those who want it.
Cheers, George B.
Elizabeth Parris wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone would share the ways in which they currently try
> to manage the phantom pain of their amputee clients?
> Thanks,
> Liz Parris
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <URL Redacted>
seven years) is to undertake education of your 'client', and possibly of
yourself....a process which could also be called semantic cleansing....and
this is essentially to point out that after an amputation a person
experiences a great many strange and unusual sensations, SOME of which are
painful. The promiscuous use of the term stump pain is the greatest
generator of confusion about what the amputee is experiencing, because the
fear and anxiety surrounding the amputation experience results in defining
every unusual sensation as pain. Sensation does not equate to pain.
A bit of information about the brain and the nervous system. The part of the
brain which serves the foot and the leg is immediately adjacent to the part
of the brain which serves the bowel and the genitals. After the amputation
these two parts of the brain communicate in ways which were not apparent
before the surgery, evidenced by the fact that some events which occur in the
bowel or genitals are experienced as happening in the foot or leg. This is
unusual and probably startling but it is a mistake to define such as pain.
For example, leg amputees sometimes remark that the sensation of urination
seems to originate in the stump or phantom as well as in the usual place. A
possible helpful result of this transfer of feeling is that massage of the
pelvic areas can relieve some of the real pain and unpleasant sensations
which a new leg amputee experiences.
This is based on my own experience as well as the reports of many other leg
amputees. For arm amputees the uses of the transfer, which is their case is
to areas of the face, is less clear and remains to be reported on.
Experiments by Dr. V. Ramachandran demonstrate the phenomenon.....I can post
his (long) paper for those who want it.
Cheers, George B.
Elizabeth Parris wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone would share the ways in which they currently try
> to manage the phantom pain of their amputee clients?
> Thanks,
> Liz Parris
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <URL Redacted>
Citation
george boyer, “Re: phantom limb pain,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 26, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/211835.
