What is phantom limb syndrome?

Phantom limb syndrome can happen after an amputation injury. It often leads to feelings of phantom pain and discomfort.

For example, a worker may be using a hydraulic press when the press is accidentally triggered while their arm is still on the machine’s surface. They suffer a crush injury, and their arm has to be amputated at the elbow when they arrive at the hospital. This action saves their life, but they still experience significant pain, tingling and other feelings in that hand and forearm—even though neither one still exists.

Why does this happen?

This essentially happens because the brain is trying to interpret signals from the nerves. There isn’t actually any pain in the arm, of course, after the amputation is carried out. But if the brain still recognizes impulses or signals that it interprets as pain, it can cause a person to feel it in essentially the same way.

Since this is a neurological disorder, it can be very complicated to treat. There isn’t anything physical that can be done to treat the pain. Various tactics and types of therapy may have an effect, but it’s different for every patient—and it can certainly take a long time for the brain to recognize that the limb has been lost and to stop sending these signals through the nervous system.

If you are a worker who has been injured, phantom limb pain can cause significant complications for months or even years after your injury. The additional treatment needed for the syndrome may be very expensive. To address this and many of your other costs, it’s important for you to know if you have a right to workers’ compensation benefits.