Phantom pain is pain a person feels in a body part that no longer exists. Phantom pain is usually associated with amputated limbs or digits, but can also be associated with removed soft tissue such as breasts. Although the body part is gone, the brain changes so that it still senses its presence. Sometimes, this presence is simply the feeling that the amputated part is still there, other times, it is in the form of pain. Phantom pain has been described many ways, including the burning or sharp pain associated with superficial somatic pain.
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