Researchers conducted a study to identify factors associated with presence of phantom limb pain (PLP) in younger individuals with lower-limb loss. The study covered demographics, limb-loss characteristics, rehabilitation, sleep disturbance, anxiety, fatigue, and pain interference.
Recruitment and data collection occurred at military treatment facilities, community events, and local prosthetic clinics. A volunteer sample of 163 individuals with lower-limb amputations between the ages of 20 and 60 years old were included in the analysis.
Researchers collected data via questionnaires. Questions included participant characteristics, rehabilitation characteristics, and pain information. Self-reported sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain interference were assessed via Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System subscales.
In the 68.1 percent who reported experiencing PLP, their average pain intensity in the last seven days was reported as 4.6 ± 2.4 out of ten on the numeric pain rating scale.
The relationships between the presence of PLP and demographic characteristics revealed that only greater body mass was correlated with PLP presence. Differences were seen between individuals with and without PLP for self-reported sleep disturbance, anxiety, fatigue, and pain interference, with the individuals with PLP reporting higher levels (worse scores) on all subscales.
The researchers concluded that higher body mass, greater levels of sleep disturbance, anxiety, fatigue, and pain interference were associated with PLP, suggesting that PLP is linked to broader psychosocial impairments.
The cross-sectional cohort study, “Correlates of phantom limb pain in young individuals with lower limb loss,” was published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
