United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

These were first developed for amputees with phantom limb pain. I've read of some amputees having good success with mirror boxes, but don't know if it works for BPIs. I understand that you have to do the exercises about three times a day for 10-15 minutes. Maybe I'll order one and give it a go.


Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind is a great book written by one of the most interesting and inventive neuroscientist, V.S. Ramachandran. He is the inventor of the mirror box and discusses the principles behind it's success in this book along with a million other fascinating aspects about neurology and the human brain. It reads like a who done it murder mystery of the neural system.

For any interested in reading the chapter of this book that discusses his inventing the mirror box and the ideas behind how it works, you can down load it from my BPI library/collection online. Just follow the instructions below.


Download 3rd chapter of Phantoms in the Brain go to site below:

http://homepage.mac.com/cljanney

>click on "Pain Folder"
>click on red download arrow for "Phantoms in the Brain - Great Book.pdf"

PS there are also some published studies available to download & read on the Mirror Box subject available at the same site inside the "Pain Folder".


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http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=27355

Pharmaceutical Company buys 2,500 drug-free Mirror Therapy Boxes for UK pain clinics

Reflex Pain Management Ltd
2/12/2007 10:13:56 AM

Manchester, UK – 12, February 2007
NAPP Pharmaceuticals, pioneers of prolonged released drugs for the relief of severe pain have purchased 2,500 Mirror Therapy Boxes for complimentary distribution to pain clinics throughout the UK.
Mirror Therapy Boxes are used in Mirror Visualisation Therapy for the treatment of hand pain, foot pain, phantom limb pain, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). With RSD, CRPS, phantom limb and other Neuropathic pain conditions a visual feedback helps the patient to "move" the affected or amputated limb in the mind and release it from painful positions, satisfying the brain that the limb is actually normal.
Mirror Visualisation Therapy also benefits the rehabilitation of hand, wrist and foot pain following injury, surgery or stroke, improving the motor functions of the affected limb and helping speed up recovery time.
Dr. Ilan Lieberman FRCA, a consultant in pain management and anaesthesia at the University Hospital of South Manchester reports that several of his patients who were unable to move a hand or foot prior to using the Mirror Therapy Box, were able to move their injured limbs after a Mirror Therapy Box session.
The Mirror Therapy Boxes supplied to NAPP are light weight with a robust plastic mirror allowing users to undertake visualisation exercises in the comfort of their home, at the office or in bed.
For further information on Mirror Visualisation Therapy for hand, wrist and foot pain management, RSD, CRPS, stroke injury and limb rehabilitation please visit http://www.mirrorboxtherapy.com


Mirror Therapy Boxes can be purchased for £19.99 (approximately $38.00 USD - €30.00) from http://www.reflexpainmanagement.com and worldwide shipping is currently free of charge.

This is from the company's website selling the Mirror Boxes...

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http://mirrorboxtherapy.com/phantom-limb-pain.htm

Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom sensations are said to be present in in all amputees and in children born with missing limbs. It is thought that since the sensations are present in children born with missing limbs the human brain is "hard wired" in the somatosensory cortex (the strip of brain that runs between the ears) to expect sensation from all 4 limbs.



Somatosensory Cortex
Phantom pain occurs in up to 80% amputees and unfortunately tends to be therapy resistant and chronic. Indeed the limb does not need to be lost, phantom pains may occur after a disconnect injury such as a spinal cord injury or brachial plexus avulsion which are common after motorbike accidents. Phantom pain is typically described as burning aching or as if the limb, foot, hand is being crushed or held in a vice like grip

Mechanism
Historically the causes of phantom pain have focused on the stump. Pain has often been ascribed to local nerve stump irritation, however as our knowledge of the nervous system improved the proposed causes of phantom pain have migrated centrally, initially to integration of information in the spinal cord, and then to the central processing of information in the higher centres of the brain especially the somatosensory and motor cortex.

It has recently been postulated that Phantom limb pain is a manifestation of a need like state of the mind to "feel and see" the limb move. This hypothesis is backed by the work that demonstrated reduced pain after use of an electric prosthetic limb, which showed normalisation of the somatosensory cortex in the pain relieved state. It is also validated by the use of mirror box therapy in the management of phantom pain states. This concept of phantom pain arising out of an imbalance between the sensory evaluation of incoming information from the missing limb and the motor co-ordination of the limb is now central to both the efficacy of mirror therapy and the modern concept of phantom pain as a central (brain) problem rather than a stump or peripheral problem.

Treatment

The main stays of treatment for phantom pain revolve around the use of standard neuropathic medications. For example drugs, such as anticonvulsants, tri cyclic antidepressants and opioids.
Topical therapies to reduce stump irritability are also advocated, capsaicin cream, steroid injections and lidoderm patches.
Stimulation therapy, TENS, Spinal cord stimulation.
Mirror therapy and visualisation techniques.

To buy a Mirror Box for phantom limb pain please visit Reflex Pain Management

I just ordered one. International shipping is free. I'll give a report on it in a few weeks after it arrives.

I posted some images on the UK TBPI website that give a little insight as to the brain's relation to pain, check out if you're curious...


http://p072.ezboard.com/fadultswithbrac ... =671.topic

So did you ever try it? And if so, did it work?

Mirtha

I saw one of these when I was in the UK a few summers ago! Some people seemed to really think it was helpful. Where is LizzyB here? She could tell moe than I could!!

Look here and see if you can find anyhting aobut it... or hell, ask them too!!

Courtney

I got it, but haven't tried it regularly. Mostly because the instructions request that the injured limb should be attempted to mimic movements of the unaffected limb as best as possible within the mirror box. When I do this, the awkward & uncoordinated movements of my BPI arm hit and move the very light weight mirror box around causing me pain from the contact with the box, and frustration from having to readjust the box into place again.

I believe it's too small for my arm (I stand 6'4"). I haven't had a regular schedule in my life to attempt it regularly, so I wont know if it could work until I do that at the very least. I also must get creative and find a way to make the size and design work for me. Basically I've been lazy.

I'll post when I've tried it everyday for a month.

Chris

bumping up..

My son Frankie has LOBPI his therapist did something like that instead of buying the box she had him in the door way of a mirrored closet and watch himself move his right hand at the same time try to do it with the left he did it a few times with no results got bored (14) and stopped now we are using biofeed back and this is working really well. Mare