Effectiveness of graded motor imagery protocol in phantom limb pain in amputed patient: Protocol of a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study is to analyse the effectiveness of the Graded Motor Imagery (GraMI) protocol in phantom limb pain in amputee patients. Materials and methods A randomised clinical trial will be conducted, with two parallel groups and simple blinding, and a phenomenological study with semi-structured interviews. People over the age of 18, with amputation of one limb, with a minimum score of 3 on the visual analogue scale of pain, who are pharmacologically stable and have been discharged from hospital, will be recruited. An initial assessment, a post-intervention assessment (9 weeks) and a follow-up assessment (12 weeks post-intervention) will be performed, in which pain, quality of life, functionality and psychological aspects will be assessed. The aim of the qualitative study is to find out about the experience of living with phantom limb pain and to identify the satisfaction with the intervention. A descriptive, univariate and bivariate quantitative statistical analysis will be performed using the SPSS program, with a 95% confidence level and a statistical significance level of p < 0.05. The qualitative analysis will be carried out using the Atlas.ti 8.0 program, where the different interviews will be analysed, coded and categorised. Discussion The GraMI protocol allows the patient to work on motor learning through brain reorganisation, analytical movements, sensory stimulation, and functional activities. In addition, it can help to standardise the use of graded motor imagery in future studies and in clinical practice with this patient profile. Trial registration NCT05083611.