United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi,

May I know how mirror box work? Can you teach me? I am thinking to give it a try with my dad coz he has been having pain frequently even with neurotin.

Please advise.


Thanks,
Hwee Yong

Hi,

May I know how does Mirror box therapy work? Can you please tell me more about it? I am trying to use it to try for my dad bpi left hand.

Please advise.

Thanks,
Hwee Yong

Hwee Yong,
the mirror box is a way of dealing with 'phantom pain', which is more usually associated with amputees but can also happen in avulsion injuries where there is no sensation from the affected hand.
The theory goes like this-the brain is used to having sensory input from the hand until the tbpi happens. Suddenly, input from one of the major sensory areas (ie the hand) is gone. In order to make something happen, the brain keeps sending signals to the hand, but of course because of the avulsions, none get thru. It sends stronger and stronger signals but there is no response. This apparently causes the awful crushing feeling some of us get in our hands and which is associated with avulsion injury. It would also explain why this kind of pain is unaffected by the usual forms of pain relief. The theory is, the brain is trying to wake up the insensate arm.
All this is unproven, but in some cases the cycle of intensifying signals being constantly sent can be broken by using a mirror. You hold it at 90 degrees to the body, in between the bpi arm and the body. That way, you can see the unaffected arm in the mirror where you would normally see the affected arm. Thus, when you move the unaffected arm around, it seems as though the tbpi arm is moving tyoo, which apparently stops the brain sending the signals which cause the pain. A Dr Ramachandran made a box with a hole for the affected arm in the mirror, hence the name mirror box, but I find just an ordfinary mirror held as I described works ok.
In my case, I get a truly horrible feeling where the tbpi hand feels as though it is screwing itself up into a fist, harder and harder, it goes on for hours. If I use the mirror and stretch the fingers of my good arm out flat, the reflection of them where my tbpi hand usually is eases the pain, it feels as though my fingers have straightened out.
WARNING this doesn't happen to everyone, but some people do experience fairly overwhelmining emotions when they 'see' their tbpi arm apparently working. I burst into tears the first time......but for me, it works for that particular pain and eases that horrible feeling of crushing in my hand.
Give it a try, at least it's free!

Thanks for the advice on " Mirror Box" i've had this for 13 years, any new suggestions are very welcome!!! Paul T.

Hi Jennyb,

Thanks for your explanation and I will try it out with my dad.

He is rather depressed due to after the recontruction of nerve the pain is still there and sometime he has the pain for the whole night and that is terrible coz I'm there looking after him, knowing that he is in pain but is so helpless as I can help him with the pain.

Have a nice day.


Cheers,
Hwee Yong