Now that targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) surgery is increasingly performed when individuals with amputations develop problems with chronic, nerve-related limb pain, researchers conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of TMR.
The retrospective single-center study assessed patient-reported outcome measures in postoperative TMR patients in terms of quality of life, subjective neuroma pain, and phantom limb pain; digital records were analyzed, and telephone interviews were conducted for all patients over an eight-year period.
The research team observed significant improvements in neuroma pain and phantom limb pain after TMR surgery, as well as improved pain scores on the EuroQol EQ5D-5L scale, a descriptive system that comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression.
While this suggests that TMR may represent a reasonable management option for patients with nerve-related pain after an upper-limb amputation, the researchers found that more work is needed in the form of randomized controlled studies and economic analyses to quantify benefit and scalability.
