Phantom pain: a lesson in the necessity for careful clinical research on chronic pain problems

Recent findings suggest that major misunderstandings concerning the prevalence, characteristics, etiology, and treatment effectiveness of phantom pain have led to the widespread mismanagement of amputees throughout the history of modern medicine. For years it has been believed that phantom pain is relatively rare, is of unknown etiology, and probably has a psychological basis. Research results over the last few years, however, suggest that phantom pain is widely prevalent among individuals with amputations and most likely has a physiological basis. Although many different treatments have been introduced recently, few, if any, have yet been documented as effective due to lack of rigorous follow-up studies. Future progress in clinical treatment and increased scientific understanding of phantom pain will require an examination of some of the factors that have led to past confusion regarding scientific research on and clinical treatment of phantom pain.