The Effect of Mirror Therapy on the Management of Phantom Limb Pain

Abstract

Aim: In the last two decades, mirror therapy is becoming widely used on the management of phantom limb pain (PLP). However, the role of nurses on mirror therapy is not well explained yet. This study aimed to determine the effect of mirror therapy on the management of PLP, and to discuss the importance of mirror therapy in nursing care of amputated patients.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with 15 amputated patients who had PLP in pain management department of a university hospital and a prosthesis clinic in Istanbul, Turkey. Forty-minutes of practical mirror therapy education was given to the patients and asked to practice for 4-weeks at home. The patients were asked to write down the severity of their PLP before-and-after the therapy each day with 0-10 Numeric Pain Intensity Scale.
Results: Mirror therapy practiced for 4-weeks provided a significant decrease in the severity of PLP. There wasn’t any significant relation between the effect of mirror therapy and demographic, amputation and/or PLP related characteristics. The patients who weren’t using prosthesis had greater effect from mirror therapy.
Conclusions: Mirror therapy can be used as an adjunctive method in the medical and surgical treatment of PLP. It’s a method which patients can practice independently, so that they can enhance their self-control on the phantom pain. As mirror therapy is a safe, economic and easy-to-use method; in the nursing care plan of the patient with PLP, mirror therapy should be considered in the patient’s education plan.