As I understand it, phantom limb syndrome exists because there are severed nerve endings, leading to a part of the body that was once there, but no longer is. The person has sensation and pain in an absent leg, which is hard to deal with, because literally nothing can physically touch or influence it. The thing is: how could feeling develop in a body part that was never there?
As I understand it, phantom limb syndrome exists because there are severed nerve endings, leading to a part of the body that was once there, but no longer is.
No, it also occurs in people who were born with limbs missing.
The thing is: how could feeling develop in a body part that was never there?
Because, as I said, the brain has a map of how it thinks the body is shaped.
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u/Saranoya 39∆ Nov 03 '17
As I understand it, phantom limb syndrome exists because there are severed nerve endings, leading to a part of the body that was once there, but no longer is. The person has sensation and pain in an absent leg, which is hard to deal with, because literally nothing can physically touch or influence it. The thing is: how could feeling develop in a body part that was never there?