ReviewPain research & management2018
Psychological Factors Associated with Phantom Limb Pain: A Review of Recent Findings.
Review in Pain research & management, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic literature review to explore lived experiences with phantom limb phenomenon following a lower extremity amputation: a qualitative synthesis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Cryoneurolysis for phantom limb pain: a systematic review.Pain management · 2024Pooled it
- Psychology of nerve injury, repair, and recovery: a systematic review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Transcranial direct current stimulation in the management of phantom limb pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Graded Motor Imagery (GRAMI Protocol) for Phantom Limb Pain: A Randomised Clinical Trial of Home-Based Intervention.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Trial
- Neuropathic Mechanisms in Phantom Pain: A Review of Pain Pathways and Peripheral Localization.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2026Review
- Outcomes Following Targeted Muscle Reinnervation in Pediatric Amputations: A Systematic Review.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- The association between quality of life, anxiety and depression, and residual limb and phantom limb pain in war-related amputees: a year-long observational study.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Physical and mental health outcomes in Syrian lower limb amputees: the impact of prosthetic rehabilitation in post-conflict settings.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Observational
- Myoelectric and Progressive Motor Training for Phantom Limb Pain in People with Amputations During War: A Feasibility Report.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- War, amputation, and resilience: assessing health-related quality of life in Syrian prosthetic users.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Experiences of coping with and adjusting to phantom limb pain: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.British journal of pain · 2025Article
- Examining patient reported outcome measures for phantom limb pain: measurement use in a sample of Veterans with amputation.Disability and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- The biopsychosocial effects of transtibial amputation: A South African perspective.African journal of disability · 2025Article
- Anticipated Barriers and Facilitators to Engaging in a Novel Virtual Reality Program for Lower Phantom Limb Pain.Journal of medical extended reality · 2025Article
- Evaluating Mirror Therapy Protocols in Phantom Limb Pain Clinical Trials: A Scoping Review.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
- Health-related quality of life among lower limb amputees using prostheses in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Clinical Characteristics Associated with the PLP-PLS Index, a New Potential Metric to Phenotype Phantom Limb Pain.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Cortical Tagged Synaptic Long-Term Depression in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex of Adult Mice.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2024Article
- The profile of people undergoing lower limb amputations at Groote Schuur Hospital.African journal of disability · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a common phenomenon occurring after the amputation of a limb and can be accompanied by serious suffering. Psychological factors have been shown to play an important role in other types of chronic pain, where they are pivotal in the acquisition and maintenance of pain symptoms. For PLP, however, the interaction between pain and psychological variables is less well documented. In this review, we summarize research on the role of emotional, motivational, cognitive, and perceptual factors in PLP. The reported findings indicate that emotional factors modulate PLP but might be less important compared to other types of chronic pain. Additional factors such as the amount of disability and adjustment to the amputation appear to also play a role. Bidirectional relationships between stress and PLP have been shown quite consistently, and the potential of stress and tension reduction in PLP treatment could be further exploited. Little is known about the role of cognitive variables such as attention or expectation. Catastrophizing seems to aggravate PLP and could be targeted in treatment. Body perception is altered in PLP and poses a potential target for novel mechanistic treatments. More research on psychological factors and their interactions in PLP is needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.