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190437

Phantom sensations (phantom arm) in plexus paralysis

H. Reisner

pp. 62-65

Abstract

Phantom limb is the feeling that a part of the body, lost mainly through amputation, still exists. Furthermore one speaks of phantom feelings, experiences, or limbs if the limb still exists but cannot be moved or experienced due to motor or sensory paralysis, and this despite an often partially movable, sometimes painfully sensitive limb. In transverse lesions of the cord with paraplegia the phantom feelings are projected mainly to the legs. The cases reported below concern phantom experiences in a paralyzed upper extremity; namely, "phantom arm." Phantom sensations in paralyzed plexus brachialis were first reported by Mayer-Gross [5], though Hasenjager and Potzl [4] were the first to use the term phantom arm in paralyzed plexus. It was thus several decades after the first description of phantom limbs by Weir Mitchell 1871 [14] that phantom sensations in existing, but not experienced paralyzed limbs (consequently in paraplegia) were to be reported.

Publication details

Published in:

Siegfried Jean, Zimmermann Manfred (1981) Phantom and stump pain. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 62-65

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-68264-3_7

Full citation:

Reisner H. (1981) „Phantom sensations (phantom arm) in plexus paralysis“, In: J. Siegfried & M. Zimmermann (eds.), Phantom and stump pain, Dordrecht, Springer, 62–65.