Researchers trial phantom limb pain device

Researcher Sarah Oatway hopes the device will improve people's quality of life

An app-controlled device which could help amputees reduce phantom limb pain is being trialled nationally.

The yet-to-be-named device, developed at Teesside University, is attached to the body with an adhesive patch.

Very mild electrical stimulation is used to encourage neuroplasticity, rewiring the brain to better align with the amputated limb.

Doctoral student Sarah Oatway, who is conducting the research, said the trial involving 100 people will take about a year.

'Poorly understood'

Ms Oatway said the team was drawn to the project after learning directly from amputees about phantom limb pain.

It occurs when people experience sensations which feel like they are coming from an amputated limb.

She said the condition was "poorly understood" at the moment.

"It can be seriously debilitating and I think have an enormous effect on a person's quality of life."

The device will be tested in people's homes, rather than a clinical setting, to replicate how it will be used in the future and determine if it provides an effective alternative to pharmacological treatments.

Ms Oatway said: "Hopefully our data will show that there is a significant reduction in the pain.

"We're hoping to have the device available to as many people as possible as soon as possible."