One way to relieve phantom limb pain is through which intervention?

• A. Mirror Box
• B. Electrical Stimulation
• C. Acupuncture
• D. Pharmacological Therapy

Answer: (A)

Phantom limb pain can be reduced by altering the brain’s perception of the missing limb through visual feedback. The mirror box provides that feedback by showing a reflection of the intact limb in a way that looks like the missing limb is present and moving. When you move your intact hand and see the mirror image moving as if it were the phantom limb, your brain receives synchronized visual input and motor intent for that limb. This creates a convincing illusion that aligns sensory signals with motor commands, helping to recalibrate distorted sensorimotor representations in the brain. The result is a reduction in pain for many people, likely because the therapy dampens the maladaptive brain plasticity that contributes to phantom sensations.

Electrical stimulation and acupuncture can help with various pains, but they don’t specifically address restoring the brain’s missing-limb representation in the same targeted way. Pharmacological therapies may relieve pain but do not solve the underlying sensorimotor mismatch mirrored by the visual feedback provided by the mirror box.