Design of a prototype for managing pain Phantom Limb Syndrome in patients with upper extremity amputation

Abstract

This paper presents research outcomes of the project “design and implementation of a control pain prototype on adult patients who had suffered upper arm amputation (above elbow) and have the Phantom Limb Syndrome. The prototype includes two components: first, a stimulator circuit with three types of electric current that allows to manage the analgesic effect, known as galvanic current, TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) and fixed difase (FD) and, second, a video software that duplicates the not amputated limb. The image in movement produces a visual deceive in which the brain processes the visual stimulation as true and the motor stimulation as false. When the brain realizes that the amputated limb is not moving, pain diminishes. The simultaneous combination of electrical and visual stimulus generated by the prototype has been applied in pain diminishing therapy, contributing to the life quality of this kind of patients.