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Conditions | Phantom Pain

Phantom pain is pain that feels like it's coming from a body part no longer there. Doctors now recognize a physical cause for this pain, and understand that this post-amputation phenomenon originates in the brain.

Learn More About Phantom Pain

Need to know more about how phantom pain will affect you or someone you care for? Learn all the basics of phantom pain and what it does:

     » Introduction to Phantom Pain
     » The Signs of Phantom Pain
     » What Causes Phantom Pain?
     » Treatments for Phantom Pain

Features on Phantom Pain

Depression Worsens Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom Pain can Occur in recently amputated limbs. Find out how depression can increase this pain.

» Read More

Live Forward with Phantom Pain

Talking About Pain—So Your Doctor Understands

Talking to your doctor can be overwhelming, especially when it’s about pain. Find out how to tell your doctor how you’re feeling.

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Screening and Diagnosis

Treatment

Prevention

Self-Care

Signs and Symptoms

by MayoClinic.com

The sensation of pain from an amputated limb is the defining symptom of phantom pain. Characteristics of phantom pain include:

Onset within the first few days of amputation
Tendency to come and go rather than be constant
Seeming to come from the part of the limb farthest from the body, such as the foot of an amputated leg
May be described as shooting, stabbing, boring, squeezing, throbbing or burning
May be triggered by weather changes, pressure on the remaining part of the limb or emotional stress

2007-11-09

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