Tactile, thermal, and electrical thresholds in patients with and without phantom limb pain after traumatic lower limb amputation

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of subjects

Subject #	Age (years)	Sex	Side	Level of amputation	Months after amputation	Phantom limb pain
1	50	F	L	AKA	42	7/10
2	44	M	R	AKA	6	7/10
3	58	F	L	AKA	84	3/10
4	24	F	L	AKA	49	8/10
5	21	M	R	BKA	33	No
6	49	M	L	BKA	72	6/10
7	51	M	R	AKA	21	6/10
8	52	F	L	BKA	144	3/10
9	47	M	R	AKA	120	2/10
10	49	M	R	BKA	7	No
11	53	M	R	AKA	84	5/10
12	40	M	L	BKA	16	No
13	52	M	L	BKA	156	No
14	59	M	R	AKA	6	No
15	29	M	R	BKA	8	No
16	44	M	R	AKA	156	No
17	50	M	L	BKA	8	7/10

Notes: Phantom limb pain was reported as the average level of pain over 1 week prior to the experiments. Visual analog scale was used for phantom limb pain.

Abbreviations: AKA, above-the-knee amputation; BKA, below-the-knee amputation; F, female; L, left; M, male; R, right.

Table 2 Tactile, electrical, and thermal thresholds were averaged within the PLP group, the non-PLP group, and across all tested patients

Thresholds	All patients		PLP group		Non-PLP group
	Affected limb	Sound limb	Affected limb	Sound limb	Affected limb	Sound limb
Tactile sensation	2.98	2.91	3.24	3.21	2.61	2.47
SE	0.19	0.18	0.29	0.23	0.12	0.22
Electrical sensation	6.59	4.36	5.51	4.07	8.13	4.79
SE	1.03	0.47	0.84	0.71	2.16	0.56
Electrical pain	63.59	46.86	53.04	31.29	78.65	69.10
SE	8.07	7.01	10.25	5.80	11.51	10.28
Cold sensation	26.14	28.74	24.07	28.37	29.11	29.27
SE	1.86	0.60	2.97	0.88	1.00	0.76
Warm sensation	36.21	36.00	36.69	35.69	35.52	36.43
SE	0.88	0.43	1.49	0.67	0.41	0.46
Cold pain	3.16	7.91	4.87	11.09	0.71	3.35
SE	1.78	2.05	2.94	2.90	0.46	1.83
Heat pain	46.55	46.49	45.29	45.22	48.35	48.30
SE	0.81	0.75	1.08	0.92	0.93	0.95

Notes: Units for thresholds: mA for electrical-sensation and -pain thresholds; °C for thermal thresholds; and g for tactile-sensation threshold.

Abbreviations: PLP, phantom limb pain; SE, standard error.

Figure 1 EST (A) and EPT (B) in the PLP and non-PLP group.

Note: Mean and standard errors are shown.
Abbreviations: EPT, electrical-pain threshold; EST, electrical-sensation threshold; PLP, phantom limb pain.