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  • Writer's pictureRadu Aronovici
    • Feb 20
    • 3 min read

Ghostly sensations of Phantom Limbs



One of the wildest phenomenons in psychology and medicine alike is the persistence of limbs in a patient’s senses after they have been amputated. Back in the 16th century, a military surgeon named Ambrose Pare first talked about feeling pain in a body part that's not even there anymore and got the genius idea to call it phantom limb pain. Fast forward to the 19th century, and another surgeon, Silas Weir Mitchell, gave it the catchy name we use today that most definitely reminisces the vibes of a Halloween movie.


To this day, this topic remains one of varying experiences, as it’s not yet fully clicked into the mastery of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. The following two concepts were proposed in the mid-twentieth century, being those of not considering the substantial association between psychological elements and Phantom Limb Pain (PLP), then that PLP represents amputees' narcissistic desire and denial of limb loss. Recent research indicates that both amputees with PTSD and those with significant depression can experience chronic pain in the phantom limb, although the degree and incidence of PLP are unrelated to overall psychiatric symptoms. Although, based on recent research, PLP is triggered by neurological diseases due to abnormal MRI scans.


Many people still believe that having phantom limbs and feeling pain in them is related to not getting over the loss of a limb. This idea is widespread, which explains why it occurs at varied rates, as real-life studies demonstrate no abnormal psychological concerns in patients suffering from phantom limb discomfort. 


However, psychological variables do play a role in both creating and exacerbating pain. When researchers follow amputees over time, they discover a definite link between stress and when phantom limb discomfort begins or worsens. This relationship is most likely impacted by sympathetic nervous system activity and muscle strain.


It appears that for some people, peripheral nerves play an important role in maintaining brain alterations and phantom pain. Others, however, are more concerned with what happens inside the brain.


Some researchers even studied monkeys who had their limbs severed and discovered that brain remodelling is linked to axonal sprouting in the cortex (the outer layer of your brain's surface above the cerebrum). Thalamic alterations also occur, particularly when there are lesions near the dorsal horn.

In human amputees, experimenting with the thalamus (your body's detail and information station; by stimulation and recordings) revealed that changes are linked to sensing phantom limbs and the agony that comes with them. Animal studies suggested that these alterations might begin in the spinal cord and brainstem, but they could also originate in the cortex.


How does it feel like? The condition of PLP has several descriptions, including dull, squeezing, discomfort, electric shock-like, shooting, and acute. Can it be treated? Well, PLP treatments include N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, opioids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, local anaesthetics, and calcitonin, along with Mirror treatment and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation were both utilised for PLP.


What is mirror therapy?  Basically, you utilise a mirror to gaze at your good leg while performing movement exercises for roughly 20 minutes every day. It's like a brain trick since seeing that reflection makes your brain believe you still have both limbs working properly, and as you keep doing it, your brain gradually learns and adapts to this concept. 


Ultimately, navigating the world of phantom limb pain provides significant challenges, but advances in understanding and innovative therapeutics provide hope to those who are in such a complex situation.


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