Mirror treatment of lower limb phantom pain: a case study.

Abstract

Phantom limb pain (PLP) can be an enduring and distressing experience for people with amputations. Previous research has shown that 'mirror treatment' can reduce PLP for some people who have an upper limb amputation, and that it can increase a sense of motor control over the phantom in people with lower limb amputations who are not reporting PLP. There has been no previous report of therapeutic 'mirror treatment' for lower-limb phantom pain. We present the first case study of the use of 'mirror treatment' in a person with a lower limb amputation who was reporting PLP at the time of treatment. During the intervention there was a significant reduction in his PLP, an increase in sense of motor control over the phantom and a change in aspects of the phantom limb that was experienced. This case study, conducted in a conventional clinical setting, supports the potential of 'mirror treatment' for PLP in people with a lower limb amputation.