Factors related to phantom limb pain and its effect on quality of life

Abstract

Aims

This study aims to investigate phantom limb pain (PLP), PLP-related factors, and the effect of PLP on quality of life in patients who had undergone upper or lower extremity amputation.

Methods

One hundred four patients with unilateral amputation of the upper or lower extremity were included in this cross-sectional study. The patients were divided into two groups as patients with PLP and without PLP. Patients’ demographic (age, gender, marital status, education level, employment status) and clinical information (date of amputation, amputated limb, the side, level and cause of amputation, phantom limb sensation and pain, sleep disorder) and quality of life (Nottingham extended activities of daily living index) were compared between the groups. In addition, factors associated with PLP were analysed.

Results

Of the 104 patients, 47 patients (45.19%) had PLP. In the group with PLP, phantom sensation and sleep disturbance were significantly higher, whereas the time elapsed after amputation and Nottingham extended activities of daily living index score were significantly lower (p < 0.05). The relationship between PLP and sleep disorder and between PLP and marital status was significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Our study results showed that PLP was associated with sleep disorder and marital status, and the quality of life was low in the group with PLP. Therefore, PLP evaluation should not be disregarded in amputees; PLP should be treated to increase quality of life.

Keywords:

• Amputation; phantom limb pain
• quality of life
• associated factors

Author contributions

Cemile Sevgi Polat, Şule Şahin Onat, Hatice Ecem Konak: Conception and design; Cemile Sevgi Polat, Elif Umay Altaş, Hatice Ecem Konak: Acquisition of data; Cemile Sevgi Polat, Şule Şahin Onat, Meltem Güneş Akıncı: Analysis and interpretation of data; Cemile Sevgi Polat, Meltem Güneş Akıncı Drafting the article; All authors: Revising it critically for important intellectual content; All authors: Final approval of the version to be published.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.