Reversal of phantom pain and hand‐to‐face remapping after brachial plexus avulsion

Abstract

Following left brachial plexus avulsion, a 20-year-old man had phantom limb pain and remapping of sensation from his paralyzed hand onto his face. Mirror therapy (15 min daily, 5 days/week) led immediately to good movement of the phantom limb with decreased pain. Within 2 weeks following nerve graft surgery, remapping of hand sensation onto the face disappeared along with resolution of phantom limb pain. Mirror therapy coupled with nerve grafting may relieve phantom limb pain due to brachial plexus avulsion and reverse hand-to-face remapping, suggesting that both peripheral and central mechanisms mediate development of phantom limb pain and cortical reorganization/neuroplasticity after brachial plexus avulsion.