Saturday, November 6, 2010
Phantom limb sydrome is when people have an amputated limb and they continue to experience the sensations of the limb that is no longer there. Patients can experience real pain even though there is no stimulation of the skin. This perception is so convincing that amputees have been known to try and use their missing limbs because they can still feel them. Researchers have tried cutting the nerves that are used to transmit signals from the limb to the brain to eliminate the pain but were unsucessful in their attempt. The only conclusion researchers can make is that pain signals come from the brain and not the skin.