Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a common problem in amputees. Motor or mental imagery (MI) has been shown to produce PLP relief owing to the changes occurring in cortical mechanisms.
The purpose of this study is to identify the analgesic effects of MI as a primary intervention in the management of PLP following amputation.
A systematic electronic search of literature was carried out in the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO (via Ovid), EMBASE (via Ovid), and EBM Reviews - ACP Journal Club, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. A hand search of reference lists of relevant articles and relevant journals was done.
Four studies met our inclusion criteria and were assessed for the level of evidence. The mean effect sizes (%) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for outcome measures, before and after MI intervention. Three studies reported > 30% PLP relief following MI intervention.
There is some evidence to support the effects of MI in PLP management. Further research with high quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is recommended.
Amputation, motor imagery, pain, phantom limb, therapy
