A team of researchers sought to verify the positive results reported in earlier papers relating to the outcomes of targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) on post-amputation pain conditions. The social media review found similar results to the previous studies with 72 percent of patients reporting improvement. TMR was developed to improve myoelectric prosthesis control, but it has become an area of interest in pain modulation.
The objective of the study was to use social media analysis to understand patients’ post-operative pain, satisfaction, and recovery time after TMR. Data was collected from an osseointegration peer support closed group on Facebook via posts and comments referencing TMR between January 1, 2020, and March 24, 2023. Data collected included pain prior to surgery, pain in immediate post-operative period, and how pain changed after surgery.
Forty-three people commented on their TMR experience; 31 had favorable surgical outcomes, seven felt surgery worsened their pain or there was not significant change in their pain levels, and five commented during the initial post-operative period.
Twenty-four patients described their pain in the immediate post-operative period and all said that post-operative pain was worse than chronic pain. Of the 28 who commented on the overall reduction in chronic pain, 24 reported TMR reduced their pain, while four had no change or worsened pain.
The 24 patients who reported improvement in chronic pain aligns with current literature suggesting that TMR is a viable treatment option for pain. Current medical management of similar conditions leaves up to 80 percent of patients unsatisfied with pain control.
The study, “A social media analysis of pain outcomes following targeted muscle reinnervation,” was published in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.
