A team of researchers conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effect of targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) on pain and physical function in people with amputations. The review suggested that TMR is a promising therapy for improving pain, prosthesis use, and functional outcomes after limb amputation.
The researchers performed a literature search on Pubmed, EMBASE, and Medline up to November 28, 2021. Thirty-nine clinical studies assessing the outcomes of TMR (pain, prosthesis control, life quality, limb function, and disability) were included.
The group that had undergone TMR numbered 449, and 716 people were in the control group. Mean follow-up was 25 months. A total of 309 (66 percent) lower-limb and 159 (34 percent) upper-limb amputations took place in the TMR group; transtibial amputation was the most common (39 percent). The control group included 557(84 percent) lower-limb and 108 (16 percent) upper-limb amputations. Transtibial amputations were most common in this group as well (54 percent).
Trauma was the most common indication for amputation. Phantom limb pain scores were lower for TMR cases by 10.2 points for intensity, 4.67 points for behavior, and 8.9 points for interference. Similarly, residual limb pain measures were lower for TMR cases for intensity, behavior, and interference but failed to reach significance. Neuroma symptoms occurred less frequently, and functional and prosthesis control outcomes improved following TMR.
The study, “Pain and functional outcomes following targeted muscle re-innervation: A systematic review,” was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
