Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain by Intensive Visual Simulation Therapy

Launched by OSLO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY · Jun 27, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new treatment called Intensive Visual Simulation Therapy (IVS-T) to help people who experience phantom limb pain (PLP) after losing a limb. Phantom limb pain is a common issue, affecting up to 80% of patients who have had an amputation, and can cause significant discomfort. The trial aims to see if IVS-T is more effective than standard care in reducing the intensity of this pain over a two-month period. Participants will also be assessed for improvements in quality of life, pain medication use, mobility, and disability, while researchers will use brain imaging to learn more about how PLP affects the brain.

To be eligible for this study, participants must be adults over 18 years old who have had a limb amputated at least a year ago and have been experiencing chronic phantom limb pain for at least six months. They should report a moderate to severe level of pain and have stable pain management. Participants will need to be able to understand instructions in Norwegian and not have major visual or cognitive impairments. If you join the study, you can expect to participate in therapy sessions and have your progress monitored over the two months, contributing to important research that could help many others facing similar challenges.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Unilateral or bilateral lower limb/upper limb amputees
• • Adults \> 18 years of age, no age limit
• • A minimum of 12 months since amputation
• • Chronic PLP: \> 6 months
• • PLP intensity: \> 3 on the 0-10 VAS scale
• • Analgesic treatments must have been stable for the previous month
• • Stable prosthetic situation (ie, satisfaction with the fitting of the prosthesis) or being a non-user.
• • Adequate Norwegian language skills
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Significant visual impairment / blind
• • Unable to follow instructions, i.e significant cognitive impairment.