Size reduction using Mirror Visual Feedback (MVF) reduces phantom pain.
Following limb amputation patients continue to feel the vivid presence of a phantom limb. A majority of patients also experience pain in the phantom and sometimes (as in our case DS) the pain is severe. Remarkably we find that optically 'resurrecting' the phantom with a mirror and using a lens to make the phantom appear to shrink caused the pain to 'shrink' as well.
Ramachandran
V S
VS
Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA. vramacha@ucsd.edu
Brang
David
D
McGeoch
Paul D
PD
D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000379:methods*; D056228:Feedback, Sensory; D005542:Forearm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010591:Phantom Limb / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome