Physiology of the phantom limb — Science Information, Might 11, 1974
Practically all people who has had a leg or arm amputated typically experiences the feeling or feeling that they nonetheless have their lacking limbs. A few of them expertise ache of their “phantom limbs.” … One assumes that [cut nerves] continuously fireplace off impulses to the central nervous system and … create the feeling of a limb nonetheless being current…. [Scientists] have now confirmed that these occasions happen, not less than in experimental animals.
Replace
The reason for phantom limb ache is extra difficult than simply misfiring nerves. Submit-amputation modifications within the spinal twine and mind can also contribute, mounting proof suggests. Therapies reminiscent of ache relievers and utilizing visible suggestions from mirrors to trick the mind can supply some reduction (SN: 03/02/14). However researchers are nonetheless looking for simpler therapies. In 2019, scientists reported that electrically stimulating nerves close to amputation websites not solely helped two males detect strain and movement via a prosthetic leg, but in addition lowered their phantom ache (SN: 09/09/19).
