PHYSIOTHERAPY IN THE CONTROL OF PHANTOM LIMB SENSATION AND PHANTOM PAIN AFTER LOWER LIMB AMPUTATION

Abstract

Amputations are the removal of a limb or part of it, through surgical methods or by accident, with the purpose of reducing pain and disease control. Some causes lead to the extraction of the affected limb, such as degenerative diseases, infections, neuropathies, trauma, congenital malformation, iatrogenic factors, and vascular alterations. It is noteworthy that lower limb amputations are the most common and have an impact on the individual's life, such as physical, social, aesthetic, psychological, and functional disorders. Physical therapy has great relevance in the rehabilitation of amputees, alleviating future complications, offering support and quality of life. This is a systematic review that began in February 2023, using the LILACS and Pubmed databases, employing the descriptors amputation, rehabilitation, physical therapy, phantom pain and phantom limb sensation, along with the boolean AND. However, 720 articles were found in Pubmed and 22 in LILACS, in total 742 articles and 22 duplicates. The selection process was started by the PICO method, with 561 articles excluded through titles, 124 excluded by reading the abstract, and 45 studies excluded after reading the full text. However, 12 articles were selected to be studied. The present work presents results for physiotherapy professionals and lower limb amputees, offering evaluation of the ambulatory status of amputees with or without prosthesis, effective interventions of short duration of relief as the mirror therapy, virtual reality, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, phantom exercises and muscle relaxation, in order to promote relief of phantom limb sensation and phantom pain.