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Amputee Support Centre of Richmond BC

Hand Prosthesis Eases Phantom Pain

 

"Phantom pain is very difficult to treat," says Professor Dr Thomas Weiss from the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany. 

"In many cases the symptoms persist, in spite of high dosages of painkillers. This puts patients at a high risk of medication addiction" the professor at the Department for Biological and Clinical Psychology says. 

But now scientists of the University of Jena give cause for hope to the affected patients. Together with the trauma surgeons of the Jena University Hospital, business partners and support by the German Social Accident Insurance (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung, DGVU),  Professor Weiss´s team modified conventional hand prostheses in order to reduce phantom pain after an underarm amputation.

A stimulation unit connected to the remaining part of the upper arm by a cuff plays a crucial part in the newly developed medical device.

"There are pressure sensors between thumb and index finger as well as on the thumb of the hand prosthesis," Professor/ Dr Gunther Hofmann, Director of the Jena Department for Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery explains.

Originally they were only meant to regulate the strength of grip of the artificial hand -- depending on what the patient wanted to pick up -- a raw egg or a hammer.

"Our system is now able to transmit this sensory information from the hand to the upper arm," says trauma surgeon Hofmann. 

"The brain picks up the feedback from the prosthesis as if it was one´s own hand," Professor Weiss adds, explaining the cause for phantom pain: The brain structures that were originally responsible for the stimulus processing of the arm are suddenly "out of work" after the loss of the limb. This induces a functional re-organization of these brain regions.

"These areas take over the processing of sensory stimuli from other body parts, especially the arm stump and the face," says the Jena psychologist.  As a result, intensified and sometimes painful sensations occur -- the phantom pain.

By means of the feedback between the artificial hand and the brain, provided by the Jena system, the re-organization of the brain is supposed to be prevented or to be reversed. "The first patients who have tested the system were very positive about it," Professor Hofmann was delighted to report. It is important now to test the feedback system on as many patients as possible, he added.

"We would like to know if the transmission of sensory information from the hand is helpful to only a few people or if it is a therapeutic for all wearers of artificial limbs," says Professor Weiss.

--ScienceNews 08/09/10

The Homunculus and Remapping Video Clip

ANDREW T. AUSTIN EXPLAINS BRAIN REMAPPING AND AN 

ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO RELIEVE UPPER LIMB PHANTOM

PAIN

Phantom Limb Contractures Chart & Video Clip

These are eight of a number of different phantom limb contractures. The missing limb may feel as if it is in a 
distorted and painful position.  Ramachandran and Blakeslee describe that some people's representations of 
their limbs do not actually match what they should be, 
for example, one amputee reported that her phantom arm 
was about "6 inches too short".  (Ramachandran & Blakeslee 1998). 

ANDREW T. AUSTIN DEMONSTRATES A PHANTOM LIMB 
CONTRACTURE AND A METHOD TO UNCURL IT.

ETPP Partners with The Amputee Coalition of British Columbia

A unique partnership has been struck by End The Pain Project and The Amputee Coalition of British Columbia, both serving the needs of amputees.

The mission of The Amputee Coalition of BC is to support and empower amputees through education, advocacy, physical activity and mentoring. Its vision to ensure that every amputee in British Columbia has the tools, guidance and support that will enable them to lead full and productive lives to the extent of their ability is in line with the mission and vision of End The Pain Project.

Plans are in the works for the two organizations to jointly operate an Amputee Re-Entry Centre in Richmond, B.C. starting in January, under the auspices of Dr. Don Nixdorf, a widely esteemed BC chiropractor and advocate for amputees. 

Keep watching this blog for the actual opening date and the services that will be provided to amputees.

Table-Top Mirror now available from ETPP for hand/arm amputees suffering Phantom Limb Pain

ETPP Table-Top Mirror in use

A Table-Top Mirror for Mirror Therapy use by hand/arm amputees suffering Phantom Limb Pain, has been designed and developed by Marty Moser, an End The Pain Project associate.  The easy-to-setup, portable Table-Top Mirror which measures 10"x13" when folded for storage, is constructed of sturdy but lightweight white cardboard and unbreakable acrylic mirror.

Priced at $20 + $6 postage, the Table-Top Mirror can be ordered through End The Pain Project.  Net proceeds fund mirrors for amputees in third world countries.