Nursing times
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Almost all patients who undergo amputation suffer 'phantom sensations', a sensory perception of the missing limb, possibly caused by a neural imprint or memory of the limb within the brain. The patient may experience abnormal kinaesthetic sensation, such as the feeling that the limb is in an abnormal position. ⋯ Some of these people will go on to develop phantom limb pain (PLP). Appropriate aggressive pain management is required immediately postamputation in an attempt to avoid chronic PLP.