Interventions used by occupational therapy in the treatment of amputees with phantom limb: an integrative review

Abstract

Introduction: The phantom limb phenomenon is defined as the experience of having a missing organ responsible for generating sensations or pain, giving the perception that it is present. This condition involves physical, social and psychological alterations. Thus, the amputee needs multidisciplinary follow-up, which includes occupational therapists. This work aims to investigate the intervention strategies used by Occupational Therapy in the treatment of amputees with phantom limbs. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review. The bibliographic searches were carried out in the Embase and Scopus databases. To broaden the selection of references, the search extended to materials indexed in Google Scholar. Results: The final sample was composed of 54 papers, published between 2012 and 2022, and of these, only four papers were also conducted by occupational therapists. The country that most conducted studies regarding the theme of amputees with phantom limbs was the United States (25.9%). However, in Brazil no intervention study was found in the area.  Discussion: The interventions performed by Occupational Therapy were: stump lining (Farabloc); prosthesis glove with sensory feedback; graded motor imagery associated with mental imagery and mirror therapy; and acupuncture. Conclusion: In the data analysis it was possible to notice the disparity of research focus, between those that involve and those that do not involve occupational therapists, since, in Occupational Therapy research, interventions go beyond the ideal of relieving or eliminating pain, aiming also to improve functional capacity, occupational performance and quality of life.