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Review
. 2022 Oct 26:15:3349-3367.
doi: 10.2147/JPR.S355278. eCollection 2022.

An Algorithm Approach to Phantom Limb Pain

Jacob Boomgaardt  1 , Kovosh Dastan  1 , Tiffany Chan  2 , Ashley Shilling  2 , Alaa Abd-Elsayed  3 , Lynn Kohan  2
Affiliations
Review

An Algorithm Approach to Phantom Limb Pain

Jacob Boomgaardt et al. J Pain Res. .

Abstract

Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a common condition that occurs following both upper and lower limb amputation. First recognized and described in 1551 by Ambroise Pare, research into its underlying pathology and effective treatments remains a very active and growing field. To date, however, there is little consensus regarding the optimal management of phantom limb pain. With few large well-designed clinical trials of which to make treatment recommendations, as well as significant heterogeneity in clinical response to available treatments, the management of PLP remains challenging. Below we summarize the current state of knowledge in the field, as well as propose an algorithm for the approach to the treatment of PLP.

Keywords: phantom pain; phantom sensations; residual limb pain; stump pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

Alaa Abd-Elsayed serves as a consultant for Medtronic, Avanos and Averitas. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Management algorithm for phantom limb pain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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