New prosthesis eases phantom limb pain
From: Gizmag - 08/09/2010
By: Karen Sprey

A new development provides the upper arm with sensory information which is
then transmitted to the brain to reduce phantom pain.  

Phantom limb pain, where a person feels pain in an absent limb or a portion
of a limb, is a very real phenomenon, most commonly experienced after
amputation of an arm or leg. Chronic phantom pain is believed to affect
around 10-45% of amputees. It is highly therapy resistant and can last for
years, or even a lifetime, despite high dosages of painkillers that put
patients at risk of addiction. However, hope may be on the horizon thanks to
a modified hand prosthesis which enables feedback between the artificial hand
and the brain. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.gizmag.com/new-prosthesis-technolgy-eases-phantom-limb-pain/15975/

Links:
Thomas Weiss
http://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/21272.php?from=157271
http://www.uni-jena.de/en/T__Wei.html