Top 7 Tips To Treat And Prevent Phantom Limb Pain

It is one of the most mysterious phenomena in medicine. Virtually every person who undergoes an amputation feels sensation that seems to come from the missing limb. It is disturbing at first, but patients tend to get used to it over time. The sensations usually go away completely within a year. Far more troublesome is phantom limb pain, which ranges in intensity from annoying to unbearable. As many as two-thirds of all amputation patients develop this condition, particularly if they were having severe pain in the limb prior to surgery. Phantom link pain takes many forms. People who have experienced it describe the pain as burning, cramping, stabbing, shooting, aching or throbbing. It cannot yet explain what causes phantom limp pain. Here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to ease your discomfort.

1. Use Your Imagination

A relaxation technique called imagery can help ease your discomfort. To begin, lie in bed or sit comfortably and close your eyes. Visualize an activity that you enjoyed before the amputation. For example, if you have lost part of a leg, envision yourself riding a bicycle while pedalling with both feet or sitting at the edge of a lake and dangling the missing foot in the water. If you have lost an arm, you might imagine yourself swimming or tossing a ball. Move the sound limb as if you were doing the activity, and visualize the motion of the missing limb.

2. Soothe With Massage

Rubbing the end of the limb can help relieve the pain. It is recommended to adopt gentle massage for 5 to 10 minutes, twice a day. But do not be rough in the area of the surgical incision.

3. Stay Comfortable

Different situations can aggravate phantom limb pain. For example, your pain may get worse with exposure to cold. If that is the case, cover the limb and keep it warm. Other circumstances can cause increased discomfort as well. For example, letting the limb hang, going to the bathroom, even yawning. You need to figure out what bothers you so that you can avoid it.

4. Consider A Prescription

Certain prescription drugs normally used to treat other conditions can relieve phantom limb pain as well. Low doses of a tricyclic antidepressant often help. The muscle relaxant Baclofen and anti-convulsant drugs are also effective. Ask your doctor whether one of these may be rright for you.

5. Keep It Under Wraps

Many people feels better to have the limb contained, even at night. There are several ways to do this. You can wear a rigid cast that is designed to be pulled over the limb, a "stump sock" that provides compression, or an elastic bandage that is wound around the limb in a figure-eight pattern. Ask your physician or physical therapist to make a recommendation.

6. Train It

You may want to try rubbing the end of the limb with different fabrics so that it becomes accustomed to the sensations. Try bedsheets, towels, clothing, and other textures.

7. Get Relief Over The Counter

For mild pain, over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen may help. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to recommend an appropriate product. If the medication does not work, or if your pain gets worse and you require a larger dose, let your doctor know.

Raymond Lee Geok Seng is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is a writer specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He has spent countless of time and efforts conducting research and share his insightful and powerful secrets to benefit men and women all over the world. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts." Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.

Unmasking the Business Phantom Part 1 - Playing Business Without Rehearsal
We think in generalities but we live in details, I wonder how that phrase of word applied. It has been a long time I been seeing myself as an observers in most of the things that interest me, no doubt and with no exemption the business it self. And to put bias out the play and to genuinely consider my self as an observers, one must set aside him se...

Treatment For Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal Neuralgia is extremely painful but not life threatening.There are no known cures for Trigeminal Neuralgia, therefore the goal of the treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia is to minimize dangerous side effects.Below are suggested steps on the Treatment For Trigeminal Neuralgia--Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent Trigeminal Neuralgia, ...

Pain Management - Calcific Tendonitis
Calcific tendonitis is a disorder of the shoulder/rotator cuff, and is caused by calcium deposits on the tendon. While these deposits can form on any tendon in your body, they are very common in the shoulder. Depending on the stage of the developing deposits at your time of diagnosis, your pain may range from mild discomfort to unbearable. If you h...

Ways To Treat Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that affects the nervous system of the body. It can cause extreme pain in the facial region and it is a nightmare to the various individuals who have this medical condition. This article will look at the different ways that are available to treat this condition.Trigeminal Neuralgia can become quite challenging to...

Top 7 Tips To Treat And Prevent Facial Pain
When your back went out of whack, you blamed it on spring cleaning, an entire weekend of hauling boxes from the attic to the basement. And when your knees knocked with pain, you could trace it to that afternoon you spent crawling around your garden planting petunias. But what could make your face hurt? In reality, just about anything. Facial pain h...

Unmasking the Business Phantom Part II - Playing Business Without Rehearsal
It took a while to recollect my thought to gathered my views and put it to writing. I was able to consolidate it, in reference from those events that trigger my curiosity. The past and present event that give me a sense of better understanding to be well equip and to handle a dynamic changes once in a while. A week from the first release of its ini...

How to Deal With Arm Tendonitis
There are people who have pain that could be from there shoulder to there wrist. Sometimes they can end up with tendonitis in forearm. They may have injured there arm picking up a heavy object or it could have happened slowly over time. What arm tendonitis is stress to the tendons in the shoulder or the arm area. What happens with tendonitis in...