Phantom pain is classified as neuropathic pain and - like all such pain - is difficult to treat. Nevertheless, new techniques of pain management hold out the promise of relief, even from pain that has been present for many years.

Phantom pain can develop either immediately after the operation or after several weeks, months or even years. In the majority of cases, there are repeated attacks of pain; continuous pain is reported less often. Patients report that the type of pain is quite unlike any other. They describe it as a sharp pain, of a cutting, stabbing, burning or cramp-like character.

There are clinical indications suggesting that changes in the electromagnetic field might also be responsible for the occurrence of phantom pain. Kern carried out a study ⁽¹⁾ showed that a textile, electromagnetic stump cover made out of an Umbrellan silicone liner (Liner RELAX from medi) significantly reduces the average and maximum phantom pain. Both the duration of phantom pain as well as the maximum pain score were significantly reduced. Sleep quality and general well-being showed a marked improvement compared to a placebo liner. No side effects occurred.

The benefits demonstrated in this evidence-based study show the objective efficacy of the Umbrellan products for the treatment of phantom pain and idiopathic residual limb pain.

⁽¹⁾ Source
Management of Phantom Pain with a Textile, Electromagnetically-Acting Stump Liner: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Crossover Study
Uwe Kern, MD; Bernd Altkemper and Matthias Kohl, Center of Pain Management and Palliative Care (U.K.), Wiesbaden; Medi Ltd. (B.A.), Bayreuth; and Statistics & Mathematics Service (StaMatS) (M.K.), Bayreuth, Germany Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Vol. 32 No. 4 October 2006.