Article

OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of self-delivered
home-based mirror therapy for phantom pain. DESIGN: Uncontrolled prospective
treatment outcome pilot study. PARTICIPANTS: Forty community-dwelling adults with
unilateral amputation and phantom pain > 3 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale
enrolled either during a one-time study visit (n = 30) or remotely (n = 10).
METHODS: Participants received an explanation of mirror therapy and were asked to
self-treat for 25 min daily. Participants completed and posted back sets of
outcomes questionnaires at months 1 and 2 post-treatment. Main outcome was
average phantom pain intensity at post-treatment. Results: A significant
reduction in average phantom pain intensity was found at month 1 (n = 31, p =
0.0002) and at month 2 (n = 26, p = 0.002). The overall median percentage
reduction at month 2 was 15.4%. Subjects with high education (> 16 years)
compared with low education (< 16 years) (37.5% vs 4.1%) had greater reduction in
pain intensity (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings support the feasibility and
efficacy of home-based self-delivered mirror therapy; this low-cost treatment may
defray medical costs, therapy visits, and the patient travel burden for people
with motivation and a high level of education. More research is needed to
determine methods of cost-effective support for people with lower levels of
education.

Langue : ANGLAIS