Background

Phantom limb syndrome refers to the continued but illusory sensory reception in a missing appendage. Some amputees have the sense that they feel the position of a missing limb. That is, an amputee may feel as if his arm is resting at his side, in much the way we know our arm is resting at our side even if our eyes are closed. They can even control and move the missing limb as they would their remaining limb and feel it move (Walsh, Long, & Haggard, 2015). Phantom limb syndrome is likely the result of continued activity in the regions of the brain that would have responded to sensory input from the missing limb. Of course, phantom limb feelings can be quite distressing at first for the patient. However, phantom limb proprioception, confusing as it must be at times, has a benefit. Phantom limb proprioception is useful in helping an amputee adjust to life with a prosthetic (Weeks, Anderson-Barnes, & Tsao, 2010). Patients with phantom limb proprioception quickly associate the feeling they have in the missing leg to the prosthetic. Amputees who lack phantom limb proprioception take longer to use the prosthetic (Weeks et al., 2010).

You can also see Professor Ramachandran talking about phantom limb pain on the next two tabs.

Video 1

Video 2