ABSTRACT
The procedure traumatically alters the body image, but often leaves sensations that refer to the missing body part, the phantom limb. Painful sensations appear to be related to reorganization of the primary somatosensory cortex, and a correlation was demonstrated between the number of sites in the stump from where stimuli evoked referred sensations, the PLP experienced and the amount of cortical reorganization. Several studies have demonstrated the favorable effect of enhancing the sensory feedback related to the missed limb to alleviate PLP in the recent years. Amputation of a limb is a surgical intervention used as a last resort to remove irreparably damaged, diseased, or congenitally malformed limbs where retention of the limb is a threat to the well-being of the individual. The procedure traumatically alters the body image, but often leaves sensations that refer to the missing body part, the phantom limb.
