Would You Want a Prosthetic That Can Feel Pain?

TYLER and LONGVIEW, Texas. Car accident injuries can be devastating. Victims can suffer from burn injuries, broken bones, back or neck injuries, head injuries, and even amputations. Modern technology is constantly developing and improving to help patients recover and live better lives. According to the Atlantic, the Johns Hopkins Lab is building a prosthetic hand that can feel pain. But would patients want a prosthesis that can register pain? Why would a person choose this?

According to researchers, pain has an evolutionary and practical benefit. Being able to feel pain lets you protect yourself. A prosthetic hand or leg that can feel pain can protect its user. In fact, there’s a condition in which people are born unable to feel pain. People who suffer from this condition can suffer serious injuries because their body doesn’t have a mechanism to tell them to stop when they are doing something dangerous. Prosthetic limbs can be expensive and when people damage them, they can be costly to repair. A prosthetic that can feel pain might last longer and be less likely to be damaged.

Individuals who lose limbs also may want to have the experience of having a limb. Pain is simply part of that experience. As prosthetics become more realistic, it makes sense that incorporating pain might be a consideration.

Pain might also be an important first step in helping researchers develop prosthetics that can help their users register touch. The sense of touch is incredibly complex. By distinguishing between non-pain levels of pressure and painful levels of pressure, researchers can better develop prosthetics.

Another area where researchers are working to improve prosthetics involves the alleviation of phantom symptoms and phantom pain. According to Scientific American, adjusting to a prosthesis can be difficult because of the pain and because a prosthesis cannot feel things like a hand would. New research can change the way patients experience prosthetic limbs. The research can also change the ways that limbs are amputated. If muscle and tissue is preserved, patients may be able to sense the stretch and force of movement when using an artificial limb. Patients who have already lost limbs may be able to undergo surgery to restore muscles and improve their sensation.

Over time, the hope is that prosthetic limbs will be able to feel force and motion, allowing patients to move and use their limbs without having to look at them. Until then, many of these procedures remain experimental.

The cost of serious injury is high because rehabilitation and modern prosthetics can be expensive. If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury in a car accident or other accident in Longview or Tyler, Texas, the Cooper Law Firm are personal injury lawyers who may be able to help you seek damages to cover your expenses. Visit our firm at the Cooper Law Firm today to learn more about your rights and options.

Cooper Law Firm

501 N Third St,

Longview, TX 75601

Telephone: (903) 297-0037