Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report

Residual Limb Pain (RLP) poses a significant challenge in post-amputation care and often necessitates multimodal pain management. Here, a 55-year-old male patient with RLP was managed with Jalaukavacharan (leech therapy). The patient had previously undergone amputation of the terminal fingers and to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yogesh Yadav, Sheetal Asutkar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/20646/74550_CE[Ra1]_F(KR)_PF1(KN_IS)_PFA(IS)_PB(Pr_IS)_PN(IS).pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850270079310102528
author Yogesh Yadav
Sheetal Asutkar
author_facet Yogesh Yadav
Sheetal Asutkar
author_sort Yogesh Yadav
collection DOAJ
description Residual Limb Pain (RLP) poses a significant challenge in post-amputation care and often necessitates multimodal pain management. Here, a 55-year-old male patient with RLP was managed with Jalaukavacharan (leech therapy). The patient had previously undergone amputation of the terminal fingers and toes of the right foot and had inadequate pain relief with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), prompting him to seek Ayurvedic treatment. Leech therapy was administered daily to the amputated area for seven days, and follow-up assessment was conducted on day 14 using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The patient’s VAS pain scores decreased significantly, from 8/10 at baseline to 0 on day 14, underscoring the potential of Jalaukavacharan as an effective complementary approach for pain reduction in RLP. The clinical implication of this case lies in demonstrating the feasibility and impact of Jalaukavacharan for managing persistent post-amputation pain, offering an alternative that aligns with the patient’s comfort and preferences. This report contributes to the limited evidence supporting Ayurvedic treatments in pain management and underscores the need for further studies with larger sample sizes to evaluate its broader applicability and effectiveness.
format Article
id doaj-art-aea8e29c975549f0925d0cd6539320db
institution OA Journals
issn 2249-782X
0973-709X
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
record_format Article
series Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
spelling doaj-art-aea8e29c975549f0925d0cd6539320db2025-08-20T01:52:48ZengJCDR Research and Publications Private LimitedJournal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research2249-782X0973-709X2025-02-01192050710.7860/JCDR/2025/74550.20646Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case ReportYogesh Yadav0Sheetal Asutkar1Postgraduate Scholar, Department of Shalya Tantra, Mahatma Gandhi Ayurveda College Hospital and Research Centre, DMIHER, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.Professor and Head, Department of Shalya Tantra, Mahatma Gandhi Ayurveda College Hospital and Research Centre, DMIHER, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.Residual Limb Pain (RLP) poses a significant challenge in post-amputation care and often necessitates multimodal pain management. Here, a 55-year-old male patient with RLP was managed with Jalaukavacharan (leech therapy). The patient had previously undergone amputation of the terminal fingers and toes of the right foot and had inadequate pain relief with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), prompting him to seek Ayurvedic treatment. Leech therapy was administered daily to the amputated area for seven days, and follow-up assessment was conducted on day 14 using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The patient’s VAS pain scores decreased significantly, from 8/10 at baseline to 0 on day 14, underscoring the potential of Jalaukavacharan as an effective complementary approach for pain reduction in RLP. The clinical implication of this case lies in demonstrating the feasibility and impact of Jalaukavacharan for managing persistent post-amputation pain, offering an alternative that aligns with the patient’s comfort and preferences. This report contributes to the limited evidence supporting Ayurvedic treatments in pain management and underscores the need for further studies with larger sample sizes to evaluate its broader applicability and effectiveness.https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/20646/74550_CE[Ra1]_F(KR)_PF1(KN_IS)_PFA(IS)_PB(Pr_IS)_PN(IS).pdfanalgesiaischaemiapain managementphantom limb
spellingShingle Yogesh Yadav
Sheetal Asutkar
Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report
Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
analgesia
ischaemia
pain management
phantom limb
title Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report
title_full Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report
title_fullStr Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report
title_full_unstemmed Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report
title_short Application of Leech Therapy in Alleviating Residual Limb Pain Following Distal Foot Digit Amputation: A Case Report
title_sort application of leech therapy in alleviating residual limb pain following distal foot digit amputation a case report
topic analgesia
ischaemia
pain management
phantom limb
url https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/20646/74550_CE[Ra1]_F(KR)_PF1(KN_IS)_PFA(IS)_PB(Pr_IS)_PN(IS).pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT yogeshyadav applicationofleechtherapyinalleviatingresiduallimbpainfollowingdistalfootdigitamputationacasereport
AT sheetalasutkar applicationofleechtherapyinalleviatingresiduallimbpainfollowingdistalfootdigitamputationacasereport