Researchers in Turkey investigated the effects of phantom limb pain, phantom limb sensation, and residual limb pain on patients’ prosthesis use, body image, and quality of life. The researchers concluded that the presence of phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensation decreases the use of prostheses and impairs body image and quality of life.
Fifty-seven patients with lower-limb amputations who used a prosthesis for at least three months were included in the study. The Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) was used to evaluate phantom limb pain, phantom limb sensation, and residual limb pain. Prosthetic use, locomotor skills, body image, quality of life were measured with the Houghton Scale, locomotor capabilities index (LCI), amputee body image scale (ABIS), and short-form health survey (SF-36).
On the PEQ, 43.9 percent of the patients reported phantom limb pain, 63.2 percent reported phantom limb sensation, and 40.4 percent reported residual limb pain.
As the frequency and duration of phantom limb pain increased, the patients’ basic and advanced locomotor skills and quality of life decreased. When the intensity of phantom limb pain and the degree of distress caused by it increased, the patients’ quality of life decreased, and when the frequency of phantom limb sensation increased, the patients’ emotional state worsened. When the intensity of phantom limb sensation and the degree of bother caused by it increased, the patients’ body image, emotional state, and social status worsened.
The researchers found no correlation between the rate, frequency, severity, or duration of residual limb pain and scores on the Houghton scale, LCI, ABIS, or SF-36.
The study, “The Effect of Postamputation Pain and Phantom Sensations on Prosthesis Use, Body Image, and Quality of Life in Patients with Lower-extremity Amputation,” was published in Ağri Pain.
