Phantom pain

[Thom Bloomquist]

“Why? Well I now find that if I am constipated or have a full bladder I
start to get phantom pains. If I don't/can't relieve myself they soon become
the same pains I had straight after the accident. Opiates of course
constipate one rather savagely!

Duncan,
This actually makes sense.  Pain has several sub-types.  There is visceral
pain that comes from hollow organs, somatic pain arises from skin, muscle,
tendons or ligaments and neuropathic pain arises from the nervous system.
Neuropathic pain also has a sub-category called sympathetically mediated
pain.

Our nervous system has sub-divisions also.  The autonomic nervous system is
part of the nervous system responsible for house-keeping functions like
maintaining heart rate, blood pressure (so we don’t faint every time we
stand up) , temperature control and opening and closing valves (sphincters)
to urinate, defecate and during sexual activity (Now, I've got his attention
:-) ).  This autonomic nervous system is responsible for maintaining proper
local conditions for cells in different areas of the body (we'll come back
to this).  This autonomic nervous system runs on a balance of its two
sub-divisions, the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic


 The sympathetic nervous prepares the body for action by increasing heart
rate, breathing, blood pressure, increasing the size of the pupil and
shifting blood flow away from the gut toward the muscles (prepare to run!).
The parasympathetic nervous system does the opposite.  When it stimulated we
prepare for rest and restoration for example, the blood pressure, heart rate
and breathing rate go down, blood shifts from the muscles to the gut (to
better absorb nutrition).  All of these changes operate at a sub-conscious
level (we would go nuts having to think about all of these minor house
keeping issues).  Usually the autonomic nervous does not carry pain signals,
however, in some forms of chronic pain - it will start to do so.  As an
example, there is chronic pain condition where the sympathetic autonomic
nervous system maintains the pain signals called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic
Dystrophy).

We know autonomic nerve function (in some people, not all) play a role in
phantom pain.  Some BK amps experience an increase in their phantoms when
they urinate, defecate or during sexual activity (all autonomic nervous
systems functions) .  Remember when I said this autonomic system is
responsible for maintaining local conditions?  Arm amputees usually don't
experience phantoms when urinating but leg amputees do more frequently.
This is because these leg nerves are (metaphorically speaking) on the same
circuit and the bladder nerves.  So people who complain of increased
phantoms during these autonomic body functions are having a common and
understandable problem.

Thom
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