Study to Assess the Efficacy of Direct Observation and Mental Visualization of Foot Movements to Treat Bilateral Lower Limb Phantom Limb Pain

Because bilateral lower extremity amputees do not have an intact limb for use with the mirror, we are now proposing to conduct a pilot trial of two treatments for phantom limb pain (PLP) - direct observation of another person's foot moving versus mental visualization. The trial will last for 4 months and during the first month data will be gathered daily on the number of episodes of phantom limb pain, the average length of episodes, and the average intensity of pain in each phantom leg. In addition, the rapidity of pain relief, the length of therapy needed to sustain long-lasting pain relief, and whether use of these two treatment methods during rehabilitation can provide sustained and/or permanent pain relief will be determined. This study will test the hypothesis that direct observation of a limb while performing phantom limb movements will reduce phantom limb pain more than mental visualization of the phantom limb alone in subjects who have sustained a traumatic bilateral lower limb amputation.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Phantom Limb Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: direct observation; Behavioral: mental visualization

Detailed Description

A total of forty-two (42) subjects with bilateral lower extremity amputations will be enrolled. Subjects will be randomized for assignment into two treatment conditions: twenty-one (21) subjects will use direct observation of another person's foot movements while twenty-one (21) will use mental visualization of foot movements (which will serve as the control group). Subjects in each group will be further be randomized for assignment into six treatment groups: direct observation or mental visualization of right lower extremity movements alone, direct observation or mental visualization of left lower extremity movements alone, or direct observation or mental visualization of simultaneous bilateral lower extremity movements. Subjects will use their assigned therapy for 20 minutes daily. The subjects for this study will be recruited from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) Amputee clinic. Up to sixty (50) subjects will be recruited and screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria since we expect that some may not qualify or drop-out sooner than the scheduled 4-month completion time.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20307
      • Recruiting
      • Walter Reed Army Medical Center
      • Principal Investigator: Jack W Tsao, MD, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Katie E Hughes, BS
      • Sub-Investigator: Lindsay K Hussey-Andersen, AB

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female subjects, 18 to 70 years of age, active duty military, beneficiary, or retiree.
• Written informed consent and written authorization for use or release of health and research study information.
• Traumatic bilateral lower limb amputation.
• No prior history of vertebral disk disease/condition, sciatica or radiculopathy.
• Normal neurological examination.
• Minimum of 3 phantom limb pain episodes each week in one phantom leg.
• Degree of pain evaluated by VAS scoring a minimum of 3 cm at time of screening for entry into study.
• Ability to follow study instructions and likely to complete all required visits.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age less than 18 or greater than 70.
• Unilateral upper or lower limb amputation.
• Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) - permanent or temporary impairments of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functions with an associated diminished or altered state of consciousness - as indicated by neuropsychological screening which is currently performed routinely on patients by the TBI program at WRAMC and noted in the patient's medical record. Subjects with diagnosis of mild TBI following TBI testing, but with a normal score (>42) on the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) (parts 1 or 2) can be included in the study.
• Known uncontrolled systemic disease- known cancer not in remission, known on-going infection, lupus, kidney disease requiring dialysis, any other systemic disease which might affect ability to participate in this study to its conclusion
• Concurrent participation in another investigational drug or device study for phantom limb pain or participation in the 30 days immediately prior to study enrollment.
• Any condition or situation that, in the investigator's opinion, may put the subject at significant risk, confound the study results, or interfere significantly with the subject's participation in the study.
• Significant Axis I or II diagnosis determined by a neurologist in the 6 months prior to entry into the study, defined as a condition requiring initiation of medications or hospitalization with continuing medical treatment for the condition.
• Subjects with lack of effort as determined by the neurologist. Subjects will be screened for effort using the TOMM first in order to exclude those with blatant exaggeration or malingering.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

6

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1; Direct observation of a sequence of right foot movements performed by the experimenter while visualizing moving the amputated or phantom right foot.	Behavioral: direct observation; direct observation of another person's foot moving
Experimental: 2; Direct observation of a sequence of left foot movements performed by the experimenter while visualizing moving the amputated or phantom left foot.	Behavioral: direct observation; direct observation of another person's foot moving
Experimental: 3; Direct observation of a sequence of left and right foot movements performed by the experimenter while visualizing moving the amputated or phantom left and right feet.	Behavioral: direct observation; direct observation of another person's foot moving
Experimental: 4; Mental visualization with closed eyes of a sequence movements performed with the right amputated or phantom foot.	Behavioral: mental visualization; mentally imagining moving one's phantom foot/feet
Experimental: 5; Mental visualization with closed eyes of a sequence movements performed with the left amputated or phantom foot.	Behavioral: mental visualization; mentally imagining moving one's phantom foot/feet
Experimental: 6; Mental visualization with closed eyes of a sequence movements performed with the left and right amputated or phantom feet.	Behavioral: mental visualization; mentally imagining moving one's phantom foot/feet

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Significant decrease in the level of phantom limb pain at 4 weeks.	4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Significant decrease in the number and duration of daily phantom limb pain episodes at 4 weeks.	4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ramachandran VS, Rogers-Ramachandran D. Synaesthesia in phantom limbs induced with mirrors. Proc Biol Sci. 1996 Apr 22;263(1369):377-86. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1996.0058.
• Birbaumer N, Lutzenberger W, Montoya P, Larbig W, Unertl K, Topfner S, Grodd W, Taub E, Flor H. Effects of regional anesthesia on phantom limb pain are mirrored in changes in cortical reorganization. J Neurosci. 1997 Jul 15;17(14):5503-8. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.17-14-05503.1997.
• Jensen TS, Krebs B, Nielsen J, Rasmussen P. Phantom limb, phantom pain and stump pain in amputees during the first 6 months following limb amputation. Pain. 1983 Nov;17(3):243-256. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(83)90097-0.
• Cohen LG, Bandinelli S, Findley TW, Hallett M. Motor reorganization after upper limb amputation in man. A study with focal magnetic stimulation. Brain. 1991 Feb;114 ( Pt 1B):615-27. doi: 10.1093/brain/114.1.615.
• Kew JJ, Ridding MC, Rothwell JC, Passingham RE, Leigh PN, Sooriakumaran S, Frackowiak RS, Brooks DJ. Reorganization of cortical blood flow and transcranial magnetic stimulation maps in human subjects after upper limb amputation. J Neurophysiol. 1994 Nov;72(5):2517-24. doi: 10.1152/jn.1994.72.5.2517.
• Lotze M, Flor H, Grodd W, Larbig W, Birbaumer N. Phantom movements and pain. An fMRI study in upper limb amputees. Brain. 2001 Nov;124(Pt 11):2268-77. doi: 10.1093/brain/124.11.2268.
• Elbert T, Flor H, Birbaumer N, Knecht S, Hampson S, Larbig W, Taub E. Extensive reorganization of the somatosensory cortex in adult humans after nervous system injury. Neuroreport. 1994 Dec 20;5(18):2593-7. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199412000-00047.
• Flor H, Elbert T, Knecht S, Wienbruch C, Pantev C, Birbaumer N, Larbig W, Taub E. Phantom-limb pain as a perceptual correlate of cortical reorganization following arm amputation. Nature. 1995 Jun 8;375(6531):482-4. doi: 10.1038/375482a0.
• Bone M, Critchley P, Buggy DJ. Gabapentin in postamputation phantom limb pain: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2002 Sep-Oct;27(5):481-6. doi: 10.1053/rapm.2002.35169.
• Price DD, Bush FM, Long S, Harkins SW. A comparison of pain measurement characteristics of mechanical visual analogue and simple numerical rating scales. Pain. 1994 Feb;56(2):217-226. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(94)90097-3.
• Grusser SM, Winter C, Muhlnickel W, Denke C, Karl A, Villringer K, Flor H. The relationship of perceptual phenomena and cortical reorganization in upper extremity amputees. Neuroscience. 2001;102(2):263-72. doi: 10.1016/s0306-4522(00)00491-7.
• Franz EA, Ramachandran VS. Bimanual coupling in amputees with phantom limbs. Nat Neurosci. 1998 Oct;1(6):443-4. doi: 10.1038/2161. No abstract available.
• Lotze M, Grodd W, Birbaumer N, Erb M, Huse E, Flor H. Does use of a myoelectric prosthesis prevent cortical reorganization and phantom limb pain? Nat Neurosci. 1999 Jun;2(6):501-2. doi: 10.1038/9145. No abstract available.
• Manchikanti L, Singh V. Managing phantom pain. Pain Physician. 2004 Jul;7(3):365-75.
• Ramachandran VS, Rogers-Ramachandran D, Stewart M. Perceptual correlates of massive cortical reorganization. Science. 1992 Nov 13;258(5085):1159-60. doi: 10.1126/science.1439826. No abstract available.
• Katz J, Melzack R. Pain 'memories' in phantom limbs: review and clinical observations. Pain. 1990 Dec;43(3):319-336. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(90)90029-D.
• Carlen PL, Wall PD, Nadvorna H, Steinbach T. Phantom limbs and related phenomena in recent traumatic amputations. Neurology. 1978 Mar;28(3):211-7. doi: 10.1212/wnl.28.3.211.
• Lotze M, Montoya P, Erb M, Hulsmann E, Flor H, Klose U, Birbaumer N, Grodd W. Activation of cortical and cerebellar motor areas during executed and imagined hand movements: an fMRI study. J Cogn Neurosci. 1999 Sep;11(5):491-501. doi: 10.1162/089892999563553.
• Jackson PL, Lafleur MF, Malouin F, Richards CL, Doyon J. Functional cerebral reorganization following motor sequence learning through mental practice with motor imagery. Neuroimage. 2003 Oct;20(2):1171-80. doi: 10.1016/S1053-8119(03)00369-0.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 4, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): March 20, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): August 12, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2014
• Last Verified: August 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Amputation; phantom limb pain; Phantom Limb; limb amputation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Nervous System Diseases; Postoperative Complications; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Perceptual Disorders; Pain, Postoperative; Phantom Limb
• Other Study ID Numbers: DCI P07-71044