SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Interventions for Rehabilitation
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2025.1667659
This article is part of the Research TopicInsights in Interventions for Rehabilitation – 2023/2024View all 6 articles
A Systematic Literature Review to Explore Lived Experiences with Phantom Limb Phenomenon Following a Lower Extremity Amputation: A Qualitative Synthesis
Provisionally accepted
Abdullah Ali Alabdullah1*
Saeed Saad Alyazidi1Ibrahim Ali Asiri1Hussain Saleh Ali1Sarah Abdullah Almutlaqah1Ahmed Saleh Alzahrani1Saeed Abdulrhman Alzahb1Sumaya Abdullah Alasmari1
Natasa Radosavljevic1,2
Dejan Nikolic2,3- 1Asir Central Hospital, Abhā, Saudi Arabia
- 2State University of Novi Pazar, Novi Pazar, Serbia
- 3Univerzitet u Beogradu Fakultet veterinarske medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
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Objective: In this review we aimed to understand better frequent experiences accompanying phantom limb issues from patients' perspective and accordingly to generate recommendations for clinical practice. Methods: A systematic literature review approach was utilized and articles meeting the eligibility criteria were critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). Additionally, a meta-synthesis approach was adopted to combine and analyze the data. Results: Ten relevant studies were critiqued, key themes were: 1) Early Information Provision about phantom Limb Pain (PLP) and Participants' Satisfaction; 2) The PLP's described characteristics; 3) Different Emotions and Psychosocial Issues with PLP; 4) The Impact of the PLP on Performing Daily Activities; and 5) The experienced strategies to address the PLP. Conclusion: The experience of phantom limb varies among individuals with lower limb amputation (LLA); however, for many, PLP significantly affects both physical and psychological well-being, adding an additional burden to the overall experience of amputation. Addressing these challenges should begin with early education, followed by a rehabilitation process that considers individual differences in coping mechanisms. Moreover, patients' preferences should be prioritized when selecting prosthetic devices and determining the most appropriate treatment strategies for managing PLP.
Keywords: Phantom Limb, lower limb, Amputation, experience, Qualitative, review
Received: 16 Jul 2025; Accepted: 31 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alabdullah, Alyazidi, Asiri, Ali, Almutlaqah, Alzahrani, Alzahb, Alasmari, Radosavljevic and Nikolic. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abdullah Ali Alabdullah, Asir Central Hospital, Abhā, Saudi Arabia
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