Abstract
Background/aim Although mirror therapy (MT) and phantom exercises (PE) have been shown to reduce pain, the efficacy of these methods in terms of pain, quality of life (QoL), and psychological status (PS) has not been investigated and compared to date. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any difference between MT and PE in the treatment of phantom limb pain (PLP).Materials and methods Forty unilateral transtibial amputees (aged 18–45 years) participated in this study. The subjects were randomly divided into ‘MT group’ and ‘PE group’. QoL was assessed using Short-Form 36 (SF-36), psychological status using the Beck depression inventory (BDI), and pain intensity using a visual analog scale (VAS), before and at the end of the program, and on the 3rd and 6th months thereafter. Results All assessments for all parameters improved significantly in both groups (P < 0.05). Comparison of the two groups revealed a significant difference in changes for VAS and BDI in all measurements, and in pre- and posttreatment scores for all SF-36 parameters (except for Role-Emotional) in favor of the MT group (P < 0.05). Conclusion While pain intensity decreased and QoL and PS improved in both the MT and PE groups, these improvements were greater in the MT group.
Highlights
Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a very frequent painful sensation perceived within the absent part of the amputated extremity
Comparison of the two groups revealed a significant difference in changes for visual analog scale (VAS) and Beck depression inventory (BDI) in all measurements, and in pre- and posttreatment scores for all Short-Form 36 (SF-36) parameters in favor of the mirror therapy (MT) group (P < 0.05)
While pain intensity decreased and quality of life (QoL) and psychological status (PS) improved in both the MT and phantom exercises (PE) groups, these improvements were greater in the MT group
Summary
Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a very frequent painful sensation perceived within the absent part of the amputated extremity. It is mostly reported in the distal part of the phantom limb (1,2 ). PLP can be a distressing phenomenon that becomes chronic and affects the patient’s quality of life (QoL) [3,4]. The pathophysiology and the etiology of PLP have not yet been fully established [5]. Flor [2] reported reorganization in patients with PLP, expansion of receptive fields affected by pain, and changes in the neuronal activity from the adjacent zone into the deafferented zone, representing the preamputation part of the extremity
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