So I just got done reading this article about Phantom Pain. Its crazy to think that people still have sensation where a limb once was. Some people have been said to have pain years, even decades after the loss of their limb. According to this article a physician coined the phrase "phantom limb" shortly after the Civil War. In the article it states that one study with over 7,000 military amputees, over 80 percent reported phantom pain. What is phantom pain exactly? Well it is my understanding that the pain in limb that was once there, is any type of sensation; from touch, to burning, pinching, scratching, even sharp pains. Scientists believe that following an amputation, nerve cells rewire' themselves and continue to receiving messages; resulting in a remapping of the brains circuitry. Is that even possible; to feel a sensation with an extremity? Apparently, three quarters of all people that has a lost limb, have these pains and sensations. But my question is; does every bodies brain remap the same way? Could be worth looking into. I would like to assume, but going to look into it myself.
In further reading in the article, a man name Richard A. Sherman, PhD, Chief of surgery, discusses a topic of "Telescoping". He briefly touches that Telescoping" is where, for example; a below-knee amputee can at first feel the calf, ankle, and foot. Gradually the foot "Telescopes" into the end of the residual limb as if the calf and ankle have disappeared. However. telescoping does not happen if the phantom pain is still present. Sherman states that, "If the phantom pain occurs even years later after the amputation, the phantom "grows" back to its original shape and vividness. I assume that this is the case with any limb that has been lost.
Upon the end of the reading I found it touches a little bit on rehabilitate from Virtual and Augmented Reality Technology. Jim Vallino, Software Engineer defined Virtual Reality as "a computer-generated, interactive, three-dimensional environment in which a person is immersed. And Augmented Reality is an area of V.R. in which a composite view is generated for the user. Take for example this: In a Thrandhardt Lecture was a discussion that mentioned experimental induced phantom experiences, such as the "Mirror Box Illusion" used by Ramachandran and colleges. These people with upper-limb amputations were asked to place their intact arm into a box, with a mirror down the mid-line, so that when viewed from off center, the reflection of their arm gave them the impression of having two arms. Thus, reducing pain for most candidates.
This article goes on with more intersting facts. I found this article to be very interesting as it touch on the basis of what Phantom Pain is, as well as what science has brought to the table on this subject. Please feel free to read it here.http://www.oandp.com/articles/2004-05_03.asp
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