It has been reported that 50-80 percent of people who have an amputation experience some type of phantom limb pain. A research team set out to provide an overview of the effectiveness of graded motor imagery (GMI) and the techniques that form it on phantom limb pain.
Two authors independently selected relevant studies from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PEDro. The research team then screened the articles for methodological validity and risk of bias.
Inclusion criteria used were clinical studies; written in English or Spanish; using GMI, laterality recognition, motor imagery, mirror therapy, or a combination of some of them as an intervention in patients with amputations, and one of the outcomes was phantom limb pain; and it was assessed using a validated scale.
Fifteen studies were included in the review. After the intervention, all the groups in which the GMI or one of the techniques that comprise it was used showed a decrease in phantom limb pain.
The three GMI techniques showed effectiveness in decreasing phantom limb pain in people with amputations, although it should be noted that the application of the GMI showed better results, the researchers found.
