Imagine you had an itch you couldn’t scratch or a tingling in your toes – only it was in toes you no longer had. That’s a simple explanation of what having phantom limb pain is like. For many years, it was a pain that amputees were forced to suffer through, but thanks to a new surgery, a chance at relief is becoming more possible.
Lingering Pain From Decades Old Injury
“I got hurt on October 13th, 1996,” said Tim Tow.
Whether it’s ducks or deer, Tow is always up for the hunt. But that October night in his tree stand — is one he’ll never forget.
“I was turning my hat around and then I was going to reach over and grab my bow. And as I leaned forward, me, the stand, and that half of the tree went to the ground,” said Tow.
Four years and 13 surgeries later, Tim was left with a lower leg amputation. The infection was treated, but for more than two decades, his body has been unable to heal.
“And my phantom pains, I laugh because they call them phantom pains because the foot ain't there! But your brain tells you it is, and then pain is very real. So if they say it’s just phantom pain. My butt! It hurts!” said Tow.
“Nerve pain is so unique because people will describe it in so many different ways. Not everybody describes it as numbness and tingling. Some people it's electric shocks, it's achy, it's burning, or someone might describe it as like a dog chewing on their leg. That can sometimes be the hard part in what do you start with to make things improve?” said Kelly McKnight, MD, a hand surgeon with Avera Orthopedics.
Rewiring the Body for Relief
A large part of what causes phantom limb pain is that nerves continue to grow after they’ve been severed. A new line of thinking and a new surgical technique called targeted muscle reinnervation helps redirect that nerve growth to the right place.
“So when people cut their nerves, that nerve wants to grow back to its other end. In cases like amputations, there's nothing for it to grow back to and so that nerve just keeps growing and it will form a nerve ball called a neuroma. So in targeted muscle reinnervation, you resect the neuroma and then you take that nerve that's cut, plug it into another nerve that's cut, and then that nerve has a job and it can grow back across one another. Kind of distracts it a little bit,” said Dr. McKnight.
Meaning patients like Tim can finally experience pain relief and a little bit of peace.
“I can sleep and it's restorative sleep. I mean, I can't even remember even before I got hurt sleeping as well as I can sleep now. And that just… it makes for a better life,” said Tow.
“It makes me like a little bit emotional because I mean, that's something that's been a part of his life for 20 years. And I personally can't imagine not sleeping through a night. And so to be able to give someone back that quality of life and to think of how much better he's able to do in day to day things because he is rested and not having that pain that's constantly lingering. I mean, it's really powerful and this is why I went into this field to begin with. It's an honor to help him and I'm happy for him too,” said Dr. McKnight.
Collaboration for Complete Healing
This technique is just another option for nerve pain patients and highlights the collaboration among the surgeons, the therapists, and prosthetics team working with patients like Tim to help eliminate their pain
“I feel bad for anybody that has to have that phantom pain, but this was, to me, check into it. It's improved my life, absolutely, and it's just unbelievable,” said Tow.
The only restriction for qualified patients is that they don’t wear their prosthetic for the first few weeks after surgery to allow the limb and skin to heal, then they can hit physical therapy and work toward recovery without that phantom pain.
Learn more about orthopedic care and pain management options at Avera.
