If the blood circulation to the leg is severely reduced, then amputation of the limb may be the only option. People who smoke or have diabetes are at an increased risk of the vascular diseases that can lead to amputation. Although a good recovery is possible, amputees are frequently elderly with other medical problems and this can result in a difficult and prolonged rehabilitation process. Leg amputations are major procedures that can be associated with a lot of pain after surgery. Some patients also experience limb pain even after the operation has removed the leg and this is known as phantom limb pain.

This study will investigate the effect of a new technique on pain after amputation. The technique involves placing a small tube into the major nerves of the patient’s leg at the time of surgery and infusing local anaesthetic around the nerves for four days after the operation. It is thought that the long lasting pain some amputees experience may in part be caused by a sensitisation occuring in the first days after surgery involving these nerves. It is hoped that this new technique will not only help relieve the immediate pain after surgery but also reduce the later development of phantom limb pain. The project is a randomised controlled clinical trial which will determine whether this chronic pain is reduced or not. Preventing the development of phantom limb pain would be of great benefit to these patients.