7.2 Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
163
7.2.5 Phantom Pain
Description
■ Pain which can occur after the amputation of a limb in that part of the body that is no
longer there
■ Often occurs together with pain in the remaining part of the limb
■ Phantom pain is more likely to occur if there has been pain in the affected extremity
before the amputation
Point Prescription
French points
■ Local points: depending on the amputated extremity, e.g.
Upper Arm
,
Fingertips I
(
›
6.2.1) or
Foreleg
(
›
6.2.3)
■ Analgesic points:
PGE
1
/Thymus
(
›
6.7.6),
Analgesia 1
and
Analgesia 2
(
›
6.7.5)
■ Psychological points:
Diazepam
(
›
6.7.3),
Barbiturate
(
›
6.7.1),
Haldol
(
›
6.8.6)
Chinese points
■ Analgesic points:
Brainstem (25)
(
›
6.10.4),
ANS II (34)
,
Thalamus (26a)
(
›
6.7.4)
Treatment Intervals
■ Every 3 days in combination with (often) existing analgesic medication until the pain
has reduced significantly; painkillers can then be discontinued; then acupuncture only
once weekly until symptoms have subsided completely
Treatment Course and Prognosis
■ Approximately 3 months until symptoms subside completely
■ If symptoms persist after 3 months of acupuncture treatments, expecting a complete
recovery is no longer realistic; however, a long-term reduction of pain may be possible
with regular acupuncture (e.g. twice monthly) so that painkillers are not required.
The duration and pain intensity before the amputation determine the treatment success:
the longer and more intense the pain before the amputation, the lesser the treatment re-
sponse.
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