About half of the women surveyed reported pain after mastectomy in other regions of the body such as the arm and chest wall. Again, choice of surgery did not influence the likelihood of experiencing pain in these regions, the researchers reported. The study also explored the impact of the two types of surgery on women's ability to function. The incidence of depression was about the same in the two groups as well, but depression was more common among women from either group who had also experienced pain after mastectomy. The finding is understandable because, in general, patients with chronic pain are more likely to be depressed, Dr Raja said.
Researchers believe phantom pain is the body's way of responding to the trauma of amputation.
When nerves are cut, the trauma triggers the development of new nerve tissues called neuromas. These new growths send abnormal signals to the nervous system, which the brain interprets as pain. Phantom pain also may represent a reorganization of the central nervous system in response to the sudden absence of input from a given area. Normally, neurons focus on the areas of the body from which they receive signals. When these signals stop coming, neurons in adjacent parts of the body begin sending signals to those neurons as a form of compensation.