Phantom Limb Pain: A Case Study

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Because people who have phantom limb pain complain of a constant pain many health practitioners have attempted surgery based upon the premise that it is a nerve issue; however, surgery to fix the pain is unsuccessful. Ramachandran came up with the concept that the somatosensory homunculus on the right side of the brain has the representation of the face next to the hand on the cortex. Because the hand is no longer present, there is no stimulus coming from the hand to the somatosensory cortex. The cortex wants stimulation from the hand therefore the face encompasses the hand section of the somatosensory cortex and begins to activate the hand when the face has a stimulus. This apparent reorganization of the individual’s somatosensory cortex

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