MachLachan Et Al (2004) - PLP CASE STUDY

Question 1

What was the aim of the case study?

Answer 1

• To investigate the use of mirror therapy.
• To treat PLP

(In an indvidual with lower-limb amputation)

Question 2

Describe the sample

Answer 2

• 32 y/o man
• Alan (Alias)

Question 3

Can you describe the details of the case?

Answer 3

• He had a life-saving leg amputation
• He only became aware of his amputation 5 weeks later.
• Within 2 days of conciousness he began experiencing PLP.

Question 4

Describe Alan’s Phantom Limb Pain

Answer 4

• Beginning of day= Mild pain experienced as pins and needles in his toes.
• Afternoon= Severe pain
• He felt his leg was shorter than his other. And that it was in a cast. Stretching backwards. with the toes pointing downwards.

Question 5

Describe his (first) treatment

Answer 5

• Pain medication
• Course of trans-cutenous electrical nerve simulation (TENS) treatment.
• Little effect

Question 6

Describe Alan’s mirror treatment

Answer 6

1. Patient steated with a mirror positioned between his legs. Creating an illusion of having 2 legs.
2. Instructed to perform movements. To trick the brain into thinking the phantom limb was moving.
3. After a few days, he could perform the movements alone and eventually w/out a mirror (x4 daily)

Question 7

Results: Alan was asked to rate the phantom pain on a closed likert scale from 1=none 10=excruciating.

Answer 7

Phantom pain:
* Before: 5-9
* After (third week): 0-2

Question 8

Results: Alan was asked to rate his sense of control over his phantom limb on a closed likert scale from 0%=none 100%=full control.

Answer 8

• Before: 0-3%
• After: 25%-30%

Question 9

What is the conclusion of the study?

Answer 9

• Mirror treatment is an effective treatment for PLP in lower limb amputations.

• Visual feedback from the mirror can play a role in pain relief and motor control improvement

Question 10

Strengths- MacLachan Et al (2004)

Answer 10

1. Detail: Case studys allow detailed information to be collected, allowing an accurate insight into a specfic case.
2. RWA: 1st reported case of successful mirror therapy to treat PLP (which shows it can be benificial for others)

Question 11

Weakness of MachLachan et al (2004)

Answer 11

1. Low generalisability: As 1 ppts was studied in detail
2. Low reliability:Unlikely the unique circumstances of the study can be replicated

Question 12

MacLachan et al (2004)- issues and debates

Answer 12

• ideographic approach
• As it focuses on detailed, individualized observations
• rather than generalising findings across a population.