A patient who has had a right below the knee amputation continues to complain of unpleasant sensation in the right foot. What can the nurse explain about this "phantom pain"?
a. It only exists in the mind.
b. It is a complication following an amputation and can be clarified by the surgeon.
c. It is related to the severed nerves that are still sending messages to the brain.
d. It occurs when the person becomes focused on the loss of the limb.
ANS: C
Phantom pain (pain felt in the missing extremity as if it were still present) may occur and be frightening to the patient. Phantom pain occurs because the nerve tracts that register pain in the amputated area continue to send a message to the brain (this is normal).
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