Peripheral nerve stimulation enables somatosensory feedback while suppressing phantom limb pain in transradial amputees

Abstract

To simultaneously treat phantom limb pain (PLP) and restore somatic sensations using peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), two bilateral transradial amputees were implanted with stimulating electrodes in the proximity of the medial, ulnar and radial nerves. Application of PNS evoked tactile and proprioceptive sensations in the phantom hand. Both patients learned to determine the shape of invisible objects by scanning a computer tablet with a stylus while receiving feedback based on PNS or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Оne patient learned to use PNS as feedback from the prosthetic hand that grasped objects of different sizes. PNS abolished PLP completely in one patient and reduced it by 40–70% in the other. We suggest incorporating PNS and/or TENS in active tasks to reduce PLP and restore sensations in amputees.

Keywords

• Peripheral nerve stimulation
• Neuroprosthetics
• Neuromodulation
• Phantom limb
• Phantom limb pain
• Sensory restoration