Pain related to amputation and functionality of individuals with lower limb amputations

Abstract

The presence of persistent pain, whether from the stump, phantom pain, or in the contralateral limb may negatively interfere with obtaining a gait with a prosthesis in an amputee patient. Objective: To investigate the presence of pain related to amputation in lower limb amputees during their rehabilitation treatment, to evaluate their functional status with and without a prosthesis, and to verify whether there is any association between the presence of pain and gait. Method: A transversal study with 60 unilateral lower limb amputees in treatment at a rehabilitation center in São Paulo to investigate: age, gender, time since amputation, level and etiology of amputation, number of comorbidities, presence of pain in the stump or phantom pain or in contralateral limb, and if so, the kind of pain, intensity, frequency, improvement or worsening factors, use of medication, prosthetization, type of gait with prosthesis (community, therapeutic or household), use of gait assistance and application of Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Data was analysed with absolute and relative values and parametric tests (ANOVA) and non-parametric tests (equality of two proportions), chi-square, and confidence interval of 95% and P-value < 0.05. Results: The group, which contained 73.4% men, one year since amputation at the transtibial level, vascular etiology, with two comorbidities composed the sample in a statistically significant way (p < 0.001). There was no difference between patients fitted and not fitted with prostheses for stump pain and phantom pain, but there was a difference for the contralateral limb, statistically significant in those patients not fitted with prostheses. Although there was a mean difference between patients with and without prostheses for the 3 FIM scores, it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Most unilateral lower limb amputation patients in rehabilitation at the AACD - Lar Escola at the time of the study had a low incidence of pain related to amputation and it didn’t interfere with their acquiring a gait with their prostheses.