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Spinal cord stimulator dramatically reduces phantom limb pain

Pressure sensors on a prosthetic foot that send electrical pulses to the spinal cord help improve walking stability – and they also reduce phantom limb pain by an average of 70 per cent

By Corryn Wetzel

14 December 2023

person with prosthetic limb — People who have lost a leg sometimes feel pain in the missing limb
WOSUNAN/Shutterstock

A spinal cord stimulator combined with a shoe sensor improves balance and walking stability in people who have lost a foot – and unexpectedly, it also dramatically reduces phantom limb pain, a type of pain that seems to come from the missing limb.

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Spine stimulator lets man with severe Parkinson's walk without falling

Three people – each of whom lost a foot due to an injury or diabetes – tested the device in a small…

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