phantom limbs
Absent but felt
Phantom limbs are the sensations—often including pain—that amputees feel in limbs they no longer have.
The brain continues to receive or generate signals as if the missing arm or leg were still present: He still felt itching in his phantom limb years after the amputation.
The phenomenon extends figuratively to any persistent sense of something absent: She reached for the phone that wasn't there, a phantom limb of habit.
- amputationSurgical limb removal
- sensationPerceived stimulus or phenomenon
- prosthesisManufactured replacement body part
- illusionMisleading sensory impression
- body imageFeelings about one's appearance
nerves · nerve signals · amputee · proprioception · losses · pain · pain management · brains · embodiment · neuroplasticity · neuropathy · neurology · spatial awareness · sensory memory · mind-body connection · perceptual constancy · coping mechanisms · stump
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