Treatment

Treatment for residual limb pain focuses on treating the underlying cause of the pain, if possible. In about half of people with residual limb pain, the pain eventually improves without treatment. Treatment options for residual limb pain may involve medications, including

• Pain relievers. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may help. Stronger medications, such as opioids, may be needed. These may be most helpful for pain resulting from problems with the skin, soft tissues, muscles and bones.
• Antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors may help with pain caused by damage to the nerve fibers.
• Anticonvulsants. Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) may help relieve pain caused by damage to the nerve fibers. It's thought that these drugs interfere with the transmission of nerve signals to reduce pain.
• N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) agonists. These drugs, including ketamine, block events that increase sensitivity in the neurons. They're usually given as topical medications applied to your skin. While they're very effective in reducing pain, the benefits don't last very long. They can also cause significant side effects.

Other treatment options include:

• Physical and occupational therapy. These therapies involve exercises done before and after amputation, as well as proper fitting and use of your prosthesis. Wearing compression garments on the residual limb may also help.
• Massage. Gentle massaging of the limb can sometimes reduce pain.
• Hypnosis. A small study found that three sessions of hypnosis reduced residual limb pain in people with the condition.
• Nerve blocks. These injections block or turn off a nerve's pain signals. They can help reduce residual limb pain and may help to diagnose a neuroma if the block stops the pain.
• Neuromodulation. These treatments use electrical stimulation on a nerve to relieve pain. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS), peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) are some of the therapies that may be used to help relieve residual limb pain.