There are approximately 2 million people living in the United States who have undergone an amputation, and of those 2 million, up to 60-90% suffer from phantom limb sensations or phantom limb pain. Interestingly, these sensations do not seem to always fade with time as a patient adjusts to the loss of a limb, but as many as 70% report phantom sensations several years after the loss of the limb (Hanley et al., 2009; Foell, Berkrater-Bodmann, Diers, & Flor, 2014; Preissler et al.,2012; Ramachandran & Hirstein, 1998). The term ‘phantom limb’ was first used by Silas Weir in the early 1870’s to describe the feeling that an amputated limb was still present, and in some cases would spasm causing the person to feel pain in their amputated limb (Ramachandran
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Mirror therapy has been show to have a moderate effect on PLP, which demonstrates the significant influence of visual information on perception. Studies have shown that by being able to visualize a missing limb, amputees can use the visual feedback to unclench a spastic phantom limb (Ramachandran & Rogers-Ramachandran, 2000; Foell et al., 2014; Hunter, Katz, & Davis, 2003). Participants in a study practiced mirror training for four consecutive weeks by performing specific exercises with the intact limb which was superimposed by the mirror so that it visually appeared as if it were the amputated limb. MRI and fMRI scans were performed prior to and directly following the four weeks of training to compare activation during hand movement. The mirror therapy showed a medium effect size of decreasing chronic PLP, which correlated with changes in neural activation. The fMRI showed that as PLP decreased, representation in S1 of both hemispheres became more similar, but no connection was found in the primary motor cortex (Foell et al., 2014). While mirror therapy may be an option to relieve PLP, it is unlikely to cause significant cortical shift and may actually increase
Mirror therapy has been show to have a moderate effect on PLP, which demonstrates the significant influence of visual information on perception. Studies have shown that by being able to visualize a missing limb, amputees can use the visual feedback to unclench a spastic phantom limb (Ramachandran & Rogers-Ramachandran, 2000; Foell et al., 2014; Hunter, Katz, & Davis, 2003). Participants in a study practiced mirror training for four consecutive weeks by performing specific exercises with the intact limb which was superimposed by the mirror so that it visually appeared as if it were the amputated limb. MRI and fMRI scans were performed prior to and directly following the four weeks of training to compare activation during hand movement. The mirror therapy showed a medium effect size of decreasing chronic PLP, which correlated with changes in neural activation. The fMRI showed that as PLP decreased, representation in S1 of both hemispheres became more similar, but no connection was found in the primary motor cortex (Foell et al., 2014). While mirror therapy may be an option to relieve PLP, it is unlikely to cause significant cortical shift and may actually increase