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Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Translated Title

針炙對截肢幻痛治療之初步探討

Abstract

The treatments of phantom limb pain(PLP)by many different modalities are based on the theoretically proposed mechanisms and clinical experiences. Scientific evaluation of the therapeutic effect in phantom pain is not very easy to be done.To investigate the effectiveness of acupunture in PLD. 13 male amputees were studied, with mean age of 34.8 ±17.0 years. All subjects had suffered from severe phantom pain. Amputation of upper and lower limb were involved in 5 and 8 patients respectively, with one involved bilateral high above knee amputations. They were divided into 3 groups based on the time of receipt of acupunture therapy after the onset of PLP. The acute group (7 patients ) received acupunture within one week after onset of PLP. while the subacute group (4 patients) was at the second week. and the chronic group (2 pa-tients) was in between the third week and six months after the onset of PLP. Acupunture therapy was applied to the acupoints of the countralateral, sound limb at the same level as the locations of phantom pain mostly, or at the either residual intact upper extremities of the amputations side in that patient with bilateral lower limb amputations. The de qi reponse at the acupoint after inserting the needle was defined by presence of soreness, numbness, warmth. heaviness and distended feeling. Each needle should remain in situ for 30 minutes after de qi response. All patients received acupunture therapy for about one to four times. Each patient was asked to evaluate his pain intensity by the verbal score(10-0). All subjects had significant improvement in the decrease of PLP after acupunture, especially at the first time of treatment. The verbal scores after the first acupunture therapy and after full course treatment were 2.50 ±2.77 and 2.07 ±1.69, 4.25±1.71 and 2.00±1.32. 4.75 ±0.35 and 3.50±1.41 in acute, subacute and chronic group respectively. The result might suggest that cupuntrue would produce immediate analgesic effect or even long-lasting relief of phantom pain. both in reduction of the duration as well as the frequency of PLP. The tightness and clenched fist in phantom limb might also be relieved by acupuncture therapy gradually.

Language

Traditional Chinese

First Page

61

Last Page

70

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