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Updated: May 13, 2026
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Using Home-based, Remotely Supervised, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Phantom Limb Pain
Published on: March 1, 2024
Treating intractable phantom limb pain with ambulatory continuous peripheral nerve blocks: a pilot study.
Brian M Ilfeld1, Tobias Moeller-Bertram, Steven R Hanling
1Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California 92103-8770, USA. bilfeld@ucsd.edu
Pain Medicine (Malden, Mass.)
|March 16, 2013
Summary
Continuous peripheral nerve block (CPNB) offers potential relief for phantom limb pain (PLP). This pilot study suggests prolonged CPNB may reorganize cortical pain maps, providing lasting relief for intractable PLP.
Area of Science:
- Pain Medicine
- Neurology
- Surgical Innovation
Background:
- Phantom limb pain (PLP) lacks effective treatments.
- Chronic PLP may stem from persistent abnormal peripheral nerve input.
- Continuous peripheral nerve block (CPNB) offers a novel therapeutic avenue.
Observation:
- Three amputees with intractable PLP received ambulatory CPNB.
- A crossover design involved initial saline followed by ropivacaine infusion.
- Outcomes were assessed over a 1-year follow-up period.
Findings:
- Initial saline infusions provided minimal PLP relief.
- Two of three subjects experienced complete PLP resolution with ropivacaine.
- One subject had sustained pain relief for 52 weeks; another reported significantly reduced pain for 12 weeks.
Implications:
- Prolonged ambulatory CPNB shows promise for treating intractable PLP.
- This approach may offer lasting pain relief through cortical reorganization.
- A large-scale randomized clinical trial is recommended to validate these findings.
