Electrical stimulation system and methods for treating phantom limb pain and forproviding sensory feedback to an amputee from a prosthetic limb

摘要

A system for alleviating phantom limb pain of a patient having a limb stump is disclosed, said system comprising: a signal generator for producing signals for electrically stimulating selected sensory nerve fibres of a severed limb nerve, the signals approximating a pattern of sensations that would be received from a normal, innervated limb before it was amputated; means to cause the signal generator to produce the signals and to deliver them to the selected sensory nerve fibres in order to alleviate phantom limb pain, the selection of the electrical stimulation signals being based on feedback from the patient; and means for transmitting the signals to the selected sensory nerve fibres. The system is arranged such that the means for transmitting the signals to the selected sensory nerve fibres includes electrodes adapted for implantation in close proximity to the severed limb nerve and wherein each electrode is in close proximity to different sensory nerve fibres of the severed limb nerve.