After a limb is amputated, many individuals continue to feel pain or sensations at the site of the missing limb. Known as phantom limb pain, this condition often affects those who have lost arms or legs but can also occur after surgical procedures like breast removal. Symptoms may include cramping, burning, or aching in the residual limb.
Although the exact cause isn’t fully understood, phantom limb pain is believed to result from the brain’s altered processing of nerve signals, causing the sensation that the missing limb is still present. It’s important to understand that this pain is very real—it is a physical condition, not something imagined.
