The Impact of a Virtual Reality Environment on Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom Limb Syndrome With Pain Clinical Trial

Official title: The Impact of Simulated Arm Movement Within a Virtual Reality Environment on Phantom Limb Pain in Upper Limb Amputees: A Pilot Study

Status Not yet recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Phantom limb pain occurs in the majority of people who lose a limb. It significantly affects quality of life and is hard to manage. Recent evidence suggests that mirror therapy and similar techniques that create a visual representation of the missing limb under the control of the patient may reduce phantom limb pain.

The investigators previously explored the use of a virtual reality environment for this purpose with people with upper limb loss but found that using it within the clinical setting limited its potential efficacy. Phantom limb pain is highly variable and assessing the effects of the activity during a hospital appointment when the phantom pain may not be present, or may not be problematic, made it difficult to judge the effects adequately.

This study involves training the patient in the clinic to use a portable, self-contained virtual reality system which they will then use at home, unsupervised, for 2 months. The aim is to discover whether phantom limb pain intensity decreases by performing an activity in a virtual reality environment in which a visual representation of the missing limb is controlled by the patient. Participants will be directed to use the system every day, and whenever their phantom limb pain is present and problematic.

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Phantom Limb
• Phantom Limb Syndrome With Pain

• NCT number: NCT03934528
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Manchester
• Contact: Stephen R Pettifer, PhD
• Phone: +44 161 275 6259
• Email: steve.pettifer@manchester.ac.uk
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 2019
• Completion date: November 2019