From the Back Cover
Amputation, Prosthesis Use, and Phantom Limb Pain
An Interdisciplinary Perspective
Edited by Craig D. Murray
For the millions of patients adjusting to life with one or more missing limbs, adaptation involves an intricate network of physical, psychological, social, and existential factors.
It is with this complex scenario in mind that Amputation, Prosthesis Use, and Phantom Limb Pain: An Interdisciplinary Perspective has been developed. Unlike other books that deal exclusively with one or another of these topics, this volume unites the three to return the experiential to what is often treated in the literature--and too often in the clinic--as a solely medical condition. Written by top specialists in areas ranging from psychology and neuroscience to biomedical engineering and computer science (and including material applicable to those with congenital missing limbs as well as to amputees), this volume provides up-to-date knowledge with wide appeal to a variety of professional readers. In addition, the book's accessibility ensures that practitioners working in teams understand each other's work as well as client needs. Among the leading-edge topics:
- Ethical and medico-legal issues in providing assistive technology.
- Psychosocial assessment of adaptation to amputation and prosthesis use.
- Congenital limb deficiencies and experiences of prosthesis use.
- Prothesis use relating to the formation and maintenance of romantic relationships.
- Biopsychosocial approaches to postoperative pain.
- Phenomenology of phantom limb experience and prosthesis use.
- Relationship between coping style and phantom limb pain.
- Virtual-reality treatments for phantom limb pain.
Must reading for clinical and health psychologists, neuropsychologists, prostheticians, orthopedists, neurologists, professionals in rehabilitation and rehabilitative medicine, and designers of assistive technologies, Amputation, Prosthesis Use, and Phantom Limb Pain is dedicated to the goal of encouraging proper fit and alignment--not only between patients and devices, but between healing professionals and their clients.
Craig Murray is a Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University with research specialization in health, clinical psychology, and embodiment. He has more than 100 journal, book, and conference publications. These include papers in key Health Psychology (British Journal of Health Psychology; Health Informatics; Health Psychology; Health, Risk and Society; Qualitative Health Research, Psychology, Health and Medicine; Social Science and Medicine) Mental Health (Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease; Journal of Mental Health) and Rehabilitation (CyberPsychology and Behavior; Disability and Rehabilitation; International Journal on Disability and Human Development) journal titles. He has published widely on the topic of amputation, prosthesis use and phantom limb pain and led funded research programmes on these topics. This work has received international media attention (including television: Canadian Discovery Channel, Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio and television, and America's CNN; and press: e.g. The Times, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald, China's People Daily, Russian Newsweek, New Yorker magazine). He is editor of 'Psychological Scientific Perspectives on out-of-body experiences' (2009, Nova Science Publishers, New York).
