These pains are neuropathic. They are part of the deafferentation group, that is, unpleasant sensations arise due to pathological sensory processes in the central nervous system.
Phantom pains can occur after amputation of any limbs, or removal of any organ. They may appear immediately after surgery or after some time. Phantom pains cause severe discomfort. In some cases, they become a serious problem that is not so easy to solve. Pain, as a rule, begins unexpectedly and strongly, but eventually weaken. In about half of the patients, they remain for life.
The pain that appeared before amputation can easily develop into a phantom. Often phantom pains haunt the elderly, often they occur in those people who have lost limbs not on the operating table, but as a result of some kind of accident, especially if everything happened abruptly and unexpectedly. Also note that they can develop against the background of any mental disorders.
Phantom pains are nothing but one of the varieties of phantom sensations. Such sensations can be oppressive, temperature, and so on. Often after amputation, kinesthetic sensations also arise, that is, a person feels that his amputated limb is still in place. He even senses its volume and position. Often these sensations are distorted. For example, it seems to a person that the arm (amputated) is shorter than normal. All this is most pronounced after the operation, and weakens over time.
Pain in the cult
They differ from phantom pains in that they are caused by neuromas at the end of a crossed nerve. Basically, patients complain that something in the cult is pulsating, crushing, pricking, and so on. Sometimes it seems to them that something hits them with electricity. These pains are less common than phantom ones. They pass a few months after amputation.
Phantom pain: treatment
Getting rid of them is not so easy. In the postoperative period, as a rule, doctors prescribe morphine or local anesthetics to eliminate them.
If phantom pains do not disappear, doctors prescribe analgesics. Their treatment is quite effective. In simple cases, the result will be noticeable very soon. In the more complex they have to take a long period of time.
Sometimes the treatment of pain occurs with the blockade of the sympathetic nerves. This is sometimes effective, but in some cases only a temporary improvement occurs. Also, nerve blockade can only ease phantom pains. Yes, the likelihood of getting rid of this ailment is small, but many doctors still resort to this method, as they know that there is a chance to save a person from trouble without taking medications with many side effects.
Surgical or chemical removal of proximal somatosensory pathways is another way to eliminate phantom pains. It is more risky than blockade of nerves, but the effect in some cases is not bad. The bottom line is that chemistry can worsen the general condition of the body. Of course, surgical intervention is not welcome.
Neurostimulation is one of the safest methods for eliminating phantom pain. Today, doctors know many ways to relieve a person of phantom pain by exerting influence on the back pillars of his spinal cord. The method has proven itself for a long time. Leading experts of the world declare its effectiveness. He is not conservative. For the most part, they resort to it when everything else is ineffective.
For treatment, they often resort to psychotherapy. In this case, only a professional psychologist should deal with the patient - an amateur can only worsen the situation.