Phantom Pain - Epidemiology

Epidemiology

Phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensations are linked, but must be differentiated from one another. While phantom limb sensations are experienced by those with congenital limb deficiency, spinal cord injury, and amputation, phantom limb pain occurs almost exclusively as a result of amputation (Kooijman et al., 2000). Almost immediately following the amputation of a limb, 90-98% of patients report experiencing a phantom sensation. Nearly 75% of individuals experience the phantom as soon as anesthesia wears off, and the remaining 25% of patients experience phantoms within a few days or weeks (Ramachandran and Herstein, 1998). Of those experiencing innocuous sensations, a majority of patients also report distinct painful sensations.

The prevalence of phantom limb pain differs based on the location of the amputation. The prevalence of phantom pain in upper limb amputees is nearly 82%, while the prevalence of pain in lower limb amputees is only 54% (Kooijman et al., 2000). Age and gender have not been shown to affect the onset or duration of phantom limb pain. Although it has not been fully explored, one investigation of lower limb amputation observed that as stump length decreased, there was a greater incidence of moderate and severe phantom pain (Bittar et al., 2005).