How does phantom pain develop?
Researchers have suggested several theories to explain phantom pain. Before advanced diagnostic tests existed, many doctors thought phantom pain was a psychological, rather than a physical problem. Subsequent research found that psychological distress is not the sole cause of phantom pain and it may not be involved at all. One theory revolves around pre-amputation pain, and suggests that people who had pain in a limb before amputation took place are likely to experience phantom pain afterward. Another theory involves blood clots: Individuals who had an amputation because of a blood clot in the limb report phantom pain and discomfort both before and after rehabilitation more often than people who had an amputation for other reasons. Intermittent pain prior to amputation that may not necessarily have been experienced immediately before an amputation may also influence the incidence of phantom pain. The experience of pain related to gangrene or other infections prior to the amputation is
