Table 5.
Low- and very low-quality studies
| Treatment type | Specific treatment | Number of studies | Outcomes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antidepressants (tricyclic) | Amitriptyline Doxepin |
Two case studies One case series (n=5) |
Reduction in pain intensity | Side effects Case series combined medication |
| Anticonvulsants | Gabapentin Pregabalin Topiramate Carbemazepam Clonazepam |
One case series (n=7) Five case studies |
Reduction in pain intensity | Small sample sizes |
| Calcitonin | Calcitonin | One review One case series (n=10) One double-blind, cross-over trial (n=10) |
Reduction in pain intensity No reduction in pain intensity |
Review focused mainly on acute PLP Side effects in all studies |
| NMDA receptor antagonists | Ketamine | One double-blind, cross-over trial (n=10) One case series (n=3) One case study One case study |
Reduction in pain intensity Pain exacerbated |
Side effects in all studies Dextromethorphan and methadone have mixed analgesic effect |
| Memantine Dextromethorphan Methadone |
One case series (n=2) One case series (n=3) One case series (n=4) |
Reduction in pain intensity Reduction in pain intensity Reduction in pain intensity |
||
| Local anesthetics | Lidocaine Mexiletine Ropivacaine Bupivacaine |
One randomized study (n=14) One case series (n=3) One case series (n=8) One case study |
No reduction in pain intensity In 2/3, pain intensity reduced In 6/8, pain reduction achieved Pain intensity reduced |
Compared with botox Small sample size Peripheral nerve block Contralateral myofascial injection |
| Opioids | Morphine Fentanyl |
One case study (n=12) Three case studies |
Reduction in pain intensity | Small sample sizes |
| Beta-blockers | Propranolol | Three case studies | Reduction in pain intensity | Dated |
| Serotonin reuptake inhibitors | Fluoxetine Duloxetine Milnacipran |
Three case studies | Reduction in pain intensity | Small sample sizes |
| Surgery | DREZ | Two case series | Unable to determine PLP effect due to mixed group | |
| Two case series | 36% and 64% achieved pain reduction, respectively | Mixed samples and small numbers with PLP | ||
| One case study | Reduction in pain intensity | Single case | ||
| Acupuncture | Acupuncture Electroacupuncture |
Three case studies One case series (n=9) |
Reduction in pain intensity In 5/9, 50% reduction in pain intensity |
Small sample sizes Small sample size |
| Farabloc | Farabloc | One double-blind, cross-over study (n=52) |
Reduction in pain intensity | Large dropout high risk of bias |
| Feedback | Biofeedback | Two case series (n=16; n=9) Two case studies |
Reduction in pain intensity | Small sample sizes |
| Sensory discrimination | One controlled comparative study (n=10) | Reduction in pain intensity | Inactive placebo Low sample size |
|
| Hypnosis | Hypnosis | Two case series (n=25; n=20) | Reduction in pain intensity | Mixed group PLP/stump pain |
| Reflexology | Reflexology | One case series (n=10) | Reduction in pain intensity | Small sample size |
| Stimulation therapies | TENS | Two trials Seven case series or case studies |
Reduction in pain intensity | Dated Small sample size Small numbers |
| SCS | Five case series | Reduction in pain intensity | Lack of specificity and small sample sizes | |
| Motor cortex stimulation | Six case series | Variable results | In largest sample (n=5), only one achieved a reduction in pain | |
| DBS ECT |
Two case series One case series (n=2) One case study |
Variable results Reduction in pain intensity |
Small sample sizes Small sample sizes |
|
| Therapeutic touch | Therapeutic touch | Two case series | Reduction in pain intensity | Total number n=6 |
Abbreviations: DBS, deep brain stimulation; DREZ, Dorsal-Root Entry Zone; ECT, electroconvulsive therapy; NMDA, N-methyl-D-aspartate; PLP, phantom limb pain; SCS, spinal cord stimulation; TENS, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.