Virtual Reality Helps Treat Phantom Limb Pain.

Scientists at the University of Manchester, UK, has developed 3D virtual reality computer graphics to combat phantom limb pains suffered by amputees:

By putting on a headset, patients will see themselves with two limbs. They can use their remaining physical limb to control the movements of a computer-generated limb, which appears in the 3D computer-generated world in the space of their amputated limb. …

Phantom limb pain or PLP is discomfort felt by a person in a limb that is missing due to amputation. Previous research has found that when a person’s brain is ‘tricked’ into believing they can see and move a ‘phantom limb’, pain can decrease.

… But this initial project has produced startling results, with four out of the five patients reporting improvement in their phantom limb pain. Some improvements were almost immediate.

Link | Photo gallery – via medgadget