Phantom pain usually begins within the first few days of amputation or having a body part removed.
- It can be described as shooting, stabbing, throbbing, twisting, itching or burning.
- The pain comes and goes or it can be continuous. The length of time this pain lasts differs from person to person. It can last from seconds to minutes, to hours, and even to days. The symptoms of phantom limb pain can range from mild to severe.
- It often affects the part of the limb farthest from your body, such as the foot of an amputated leg.
- The pain may be triggered by pressure on the remaining part of the limb or by emotional stress.
Although phantom pain occurs most often in people who've had an arm or leg removed, this condition may also occur after surgeries to remove other body parts, such as the breast, penis, eye or tongue.