Modern Medicine’s Response to Phantom Pain
Medication: Physicians will try anything to relieve phantom pain, which can result from an amputation, stroke or paralysis of a part of the body. This includes the use of drugs, nerve injections, prosthesis changes, physical therapy and various surgeries. Drugs commonly used to treat phantom pain include pain medications, anti-seizure drugs, anti-depressants, local anesthetics, central nervous system depressants, opioids and others, such as calcitonin, baclofen, dextromethorphan. Unfortunately many of the medications have side effects. Other approaches include nerve blocks; transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in which a small current is applied to electrodes on the skin covering the skull; spinal cord stimulation; electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), in which a small electrical current is applied through the brain to cause a seizure; hypnosis; biofeedback; and other cognitive techniques such as relaxation training and distraction. Stump pain has also been treated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), in which a tiny electrical current is applied at specific points on a nerve pathway; surgical revision of the stump; or cognitive therapies.
Surgery: If drugs and noninvasive approaches fail to relieve the phantom pain, surgery may be resorted to. For example, in the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) procedure, a surgeon uses electrodes to destroy small parts of the spinal cord. Unfortunately, this type of surgery is most likely to provide pain relief mainly when the pain results from nerve damage at the spinal cord. And there are always risks associated with surgery. In the DREZ procedure, numbness or weakness may result. In addition, surgery can often make the problem worse. Surgeons will use x-ray technology as a diagnostic tool, which does not always properly diagnose the source of the pain.
In other words, not only do many of the traditional medical treatment options come with a variety or risks and side effects, but they usually only provide temporary relief because they do not address the root cause of the problem, which is the goal of natural medicine treatments.
The Natural Medicine Approach to Phantom Pain
The current theory on the development of phantom pain is that the absence of the limb or of sensation in the limb causes an increase in nerve input from the brain to the limb. The additional nerve input causes the “weird” sensations and pain. But since the limb is absent, there is no system to deactivate the impulse.
Prolotherapy for phantom pain: Natural medicine studies have revealed that a common cause of phantom pain in the foot, one of the most common sites of phantom pain since most amputations involve a foot and/or lower leg, was a referral pain due to laxity of the sacroiliac ligament, which is in the hip area. Not surprisingly, Prolotherapy treatments to this ligament have had great success in relieving phantom pain in the foot area, as have Prolotherapy treatments to the back. Amputations, spinal cord injuries and strokes put an additional strain on the sacroiliac joint in order to stabilize the area, with the result that the sacroiliac ligaments eventually become lax. Prolotherapy has been very effective in healing and repairing this ligament laxity and treating phantom pain.
Neural Therapy: Prolotherapy treatments may also benefit from the complement of neural therapy to the stump of the suture site or the nerves at the amputated sites. Neural therapy is a gentle healing technique developed in Germany that involves injecting local anesthetics into autonomic ganglia, peripheral nerves, scars, glands, acupuncture points, trigger points, skin and other tissues.
The safest and most effective natural medicine treatment for repairing tendon, ligament and cartilage damage is Prolotherapy. In simple terms, Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas. It does so by inducing a mild inflammatory reaction in the weakened ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Since the body heals by inflammation, Prolotherapy stimulates healing.
Prolotherapy offers the most curative results in treating chronic pain. It effectively eliminates pain because it attacks the source: the fibro-osseous junction, an area rich in sensory nerves. What’s more, the tissue strengthening and pain relief stimulated by Prolotherapy is permanent!
The safest and most effective natural medicine treatment for repairing tendon, ligament and cartilage damage is Prolotherapy. In simple terms, Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas. It does so by inducing a mild inflammatory reaction in the weakened ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Since the body heals by inflammation, Prolotherapy stimulates healing.
Prolotherapy offers the most curative results in treating chronic pain. It effectively eliminates pain because it attacks the source: the fibro-osseous junction, an area rich in sensory nerves. What’s more, the tissue strengthening and pain relief stimulated by Prolotherapy is permanent!
Think Prolotherapy may be for you? Call us!
To experience the Caring Medical difference for yourself, schedule a consultation via email or call us at 708-848-7789.
Caring Medical is a full time Prolotherapy doctor’s office. We have successfully treated all of the conditions we write about. This is why patients travel from across the country and internationally to be treated by our Prolotherapy physician Dr. Ross Hauser. The difference is in the care, technique, and experience you get with Dr. Hauser and team at Caring Medical.
