Complex Analgesia (Infiltrations and Deep Oscillation) in Patients with Stump Pain and Phantom Pain after Lower Limb Amputation (Double-blind Randomised Controlled Trial of Efficacy)

Introduction: Most of amputees feel residual limb (stump) pain, phantom sensations and phantom pain. Our purpose was to remind the wide public of the impact of rehabilitation (including the modern physical modality Deep Oscillation - DO) in the pain management of amputees.

Goal: Comparative evaluation of drug, physical (including DO) and combined analgesia in the complex rehabilitation of patients after femoral amputation suffering from stump pain and phantom pain. In the current article we tested the hypothesis that a preformed modality (Deep Oscillation) is able to provide an analgesic effect, to relieve reactive depression and to ameliorate the quality of life of amputees.

Materials and Methods: During last years a total of 63 amputees with stump pain and phantom pain were observed and investigated. The investigation was conducted with consideration for the protection of patients, as outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, and was approved by the appropriate institutional review boards and ethic commissions. All patients gave written informed consent before undergoing any examination or study procedure.

A simple randomization was used. Patients were sequentially numbered and randomized into three treatment groups of 21 each one.

All patients received a complex rehabilitation programme including physical therapy and patients’ education. In group 1 we applied too drug therapy – paravertebral infiltrations with steroids, lidocaine and B vitamins. Patients of groups 2 received a complex rehabilitation programme, including DO. In group 3 we applied drug and physical analgesia techniques (infiltrations and DO).

For statistical evaluation we used t-test (ANOVA) and Wilcoxon rank test (non-parametrical correlation analysis), performed using SPSS package. The treatment difference was considered to be statistically significant if the P value was < 0.05.

Results: The comparative analysis of results shows a significant improvement of the symptoms of the patients, concerning: pain relief (visualized by the analysis of results of Visual analogue scale, evaluation of stump tenderness), and depression (scales of Zung and McGill Quality of life questionnaire). In all cases we detected reduction of pain sensation and depression; amelioration of the independence in ADL. The drug analgesia in group 1 was fast, but short; the efficacy in group 2 is slow, but stable, and durable. We received best results in group 3.

Discussion: The drug therapy is efficient but with short duration. The physical analgesia with DO initiates its effect slowly, but the results are stable. Best efficacy was observed in case of combination of medication with physical modalities – in the beginning due to the steroid injection, toward the moment of effective «input» of the physical modalities.

Current paper proposes personal opinions on some contemporaneous theories of pain and therapeutic concepts of analgesia, including physical analgesia. We mentioned principal natural and preformed physical modalities, with effectiveness in clinical practice. Authors suggest a conception of mechanisms of physical analgesia, especially in case of application of Deep oscillation.

Conclusion: We could recommend the complex program for treatment of the pain in amputees.