[AMP-L] Researchers Using Virtual Reality to Help Amputees with Phantom Limb [Video]

[Wayne Renardson]

via The Dallas Morning News:

The technology, called Mr. MAPP, helps people with limb loss retrain 
their brains by visualizing the missing body parts.

Every morning and night for one month, Dean Peterson donned virtual 
reality goggles to help him fall asleep. Once a heavy sleeper, he 
hadn´t slept well since he had his lower left leg amputated in 2005.  

The carpenter and former Navy combat medic tossed and turned in bed, 
kept awake by pain where his lower leg was supposed to be. The 
sensation, known as phantom limb pain, was manageable with the 
distractions of the day, but the stillness of the night made it hard 
to ignore.  

Sometimes, the brain sends signals to a missing limb, causing 
sensations like itching or cramping, but there´s no way for the 
amputee to relieve that feeling. University of Texas at Dallas 
researchers designed the software to help people with limb loss trick 
their brains into thinking the missing limb is still there and can be 
 moved without discomfort.

The rest of the story, with photos & video, here:

https://tinyurl.com/2fwf5gkv

Wayne R.