Topic of the Month February: Phantom Pain

 
© Bergmannsheil

It is not just imagination. Pain after amputations is no fantasy product. Nevertheless, affected people often meet with scepticism when their lost limb is aching - although the proceedings are measurable in the brain. Read more about the causes and how a simple mirror can produce relief in the Topic of the Month February: Phantom Pain.

Phantom pain often occurs after amputations. Those affected suffer immensely and, moreover, they sometimes receive doubtful reactions from others because a part of their body is hurting which does not exist anymore. However, there is hope: Modern therapies and psychological support ease the pain.
- No Flight of Fancy: Pain out of the Blue

People looking into the mirror are not necessarily vain. Perhaps they are just doing a therapy against phantom pain. A look into the mirror can trick the uncontrollable aches after amputations in a seemingly easy way. The neurologist Philipp Stude at the University Hospital Bergmannsheil in Bochum, Germany, is conducting a research on this therapy. In the interview on REHACARE.de he explains how it functions.
- “The More Input for the Brain, the Less Phantom Pain“ – Philipp Stude about the Mirror Therapy

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