Home-based rehabilitation for phantom limb pain using a mobile app
Home-based rehabilitation intervention for phantom limb pain in Veterans with lower limb amputations
A mobile app offers guided graded motor imagery exercises to help Veterans with lower-limb amputations manage phantom limb pain at home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Minneapolis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11310743 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project gives Veterans a smartphone app that guides graded motor imagery (GMI) exercises — beginning with recognizing limb position, then imagining movement, and finally using mirror-type visual tasks — to target phantom limb pain. The team will ask 12 Veterans with lower-limb amputation and PLP to try the app at home and take part in interviews about usability and comfort. After each interview they will update the app and ask participants to try the revised version, repeating this cycle to improve the interface and instructions. When the app is refined, the researchers will have Veterans complete multiple at-home sessions to check usability and whether pain and daily function improve over time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Veterans with a lower-limb amputation who are experiencing moderate to severe phantom limb pain and can use a smartphone at home.
Not a fit: People without phantom limb pain, those with severe cognitive or visual impairments, or those unable or unwilling to use a smartphone are unlikely to benefit from this app-based approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give Veterans an easy-to-use at-home tool that may reduce phantom limb pain and improve rehabilitation and daily participation.
How similar studies have performed: Graded motor imagery has shown promise in small studies and clinical reports, but delivering GMI via a mobile app for Veterans at home is relatively new with limited prior evidence.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- Minneapolis VA Medical Center — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rich, Tonya L — Minneapolis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Rich, Tonya L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.