The phantom sensation is peculiar in other ways. For example, if the phantom knee is flexed, when the patient lies on his stomach on the bed, the phantom foot and lower leg appear to stick up through the bedclothes. When the patient turn, the phantom limb turns also but when the patient lies on his back or sits in bed flexing the phantom knee, the phantom limb does not seem to go down through the mattress.
It is hard to define sensation of the presence of the amputated part. This may be an awareness of the presence of the limb or might progress to a faint, pleasant, tingling sensation. The phantom sensation is usually not unpleasant. It can however ocfcasionally give itching or tingling feelings.
These may occur with weather changes.
On occasion a person will get out of bed expecting the amputated leg to bear weight.
It has been reported that one of the causes of recurrence of weight gain after weight loss by patients istheir phantom sensation and body image of themselves as obese persons.
Sensitive, intelligent, and neurotic individuals are more prone to phantom pain than less imaginative and more emotionally balanced individuals.
Some patients have a spontaneous phantom limb percept and others only when they think of it.
This is true of the normal limb as well.
There are instances of people who have lost limbs who insist upon burial ceremonies for the amputated members and who subsequently have sensations of pain they blame on events happening to the amputated part, such as dampness of the grave.
Many patients attempt to catch a ball with the phantom or perform some other task with it.
When walking in water the phantom foot may feel wet.
The interpretation of the phantom limb is linked with the psychic experience of body image. It is more likely to occur in persons in whom optic perceptions predominate over kinesthetic.
The fantasy theory proposes that the phantom is the result of an individual's emotional need for that part.
The peripheral theory attributes the phantom sensation to nervous activity provoked by various irritants.
The central theory proposes that the neighboring cortical areas stimulate the cortical area by representing the missing part.
Phantoms are reported as being consciously present during all waking hours or very infrequently.
In addition to phantom sensation there is a phenomena termed phantom pain, which is wquite different and by definition disagreeable.
It may vary from a paresthesia type of pain, whichvaries from pins and needles, to an electric-shock-like phenomena.
Phantom pain frequently persists indefinitely.
cramping, sticking, burning, heaviness,
Some phantoms had additional features, such as rings or wrist watches, bandages or shoes.
stinging, spasms,
tearing, cutting,
Painful corns, chilblains, tennis elbow.
warmth, numbness,
throbbing, piercing
A phantom rectum syndrome arising from a state of pseudonormality.
One patient who had the feeling that his thumb was piercing his hand, would overcome this pain by volition, when he made a mental effort to pull the thumb out of his hand.
compression, itching,
smarting, shooting,
Instances of a phantom following the loss of a nose or penis have been known.
But all of a sudden the pain completely stopped and I could feel my being rising out of my body. It seemed like I got up to the ceiling and I could look back and see my body...then I started floating back down to my body...as soon as I got down the pain came back.
Phantoms also occur in conditions other than amputation, such as hemiplegia and brachial plexus lesions. The patient thus may have in addition to his real limb, a phantom limb.