Robotic-Enhanced Prosthetic Liners for Vibration Therapy: Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Transfemoral Amputees

Phantom limb pain, a common challenge for amputees, lacks effective treatment options. Vibration therapy is a promising non-pharmacologic intervention for reducing pain intensity, but its efficacy in alleviating phantom limb pain requires further investigation. This study focused on developing prosthesis liners with integrated vibration motors to administer vibration therapy for phantom limb pain. The prototypes developed for this study addressed previous issues with wiring the electronic components. Two transfemoral amputees participated in a four-week at-home trial, during which they used the vibration liner and rated their initial and final pain intensity on a numeric rating scale each time they had phantom pain. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather feedback following the at-home trial. Both participants described relaxing and soothing sensations in their residual limb and phantom limb while using vibration therapy. One participant reported a relaxation of his phantom limb sensations, while both participants noted a decrease in the intensity of their phantom limb pain. Participants said the vibration liners were comfortable but suggested that the vibration could be stronger and that aligning the contacts could be easier. The results of this study highlight the potential effectiveness of using vibration therapy to reduce the intensity of phantom limb pain and suggest a vibration liner may be a feasible mode of administering the therapy. Future research should address optimizing the performance of the vibration liners to maximize their therapeutic benefits.