Surgery
Above left: Tim Carvell was taken to University Hospital Coventry, by air ambulance.
limb pain. This is an incredibly encouraging study presented to the professional community at our Scientific Meeting, and it is heartening to see evidence that the condition, and its associated physical and psychological burden, could soon be dramatically reduced.”
Case study
65-year-old antiques dealer Tim Carvell from Hinckley, Leicestershire, was riding home from work on his motorbike in April 2022, when a car pulled out of a side road and hit him. Witnesses told Tim they saw him fly into the air and land on his head. Tim says: “All I really remember is sitting in the road, taking my helmet off, looking at my foot and thinking, ‘this is bad’. Thankfully there was a paramedic behind me who stopped and treated me at the scene, putting a tourniquet on my leg, which is when I passed out. “I do recall hearing them saying I was bleeding out, and I feel so lucky they were
Above right: Chronic phantom limb pain can affect whether someone can wear a prosthesis.
there to help me as my foot had been severed in the crash. I was transported to the hospital in a helicopter, and everything else is a bit of a blur.” Tim was taken to University Hospital Coventry,
Above left: Tim Carvell is able to wear his prosthetic leg without phantom limb pain.
where he stayed for two weeks. Surgeons operating on him had to remove his leg from below the knee, and Tim required a painful skin graft. During the initial operation, they rerouted his nerves, meaning his pain would be reduced and he would be less likely to suffer from phantom limb pain. Tim returned home in a wheelchair and just months later, when his skin graft had healed, was able to have a prosthetic leg. Tim continues: “I think about how lucky I am on a daily basis. When on holiday, I spoke to a woman who suffered so badly with phantom limb pain that she was on ten tablets a day just to deal with it. I had no idea what she was talking about as I had never experienced it. I don’t have to take any regular pain medications, and that is a game-changer. When I hear stories of other people’s pain and the effect it has on their lives, I am blown away by what the surgeons did for me - they have saved me from a life of pain. It really is quite incredible and should be done for everyone.” Tim was able to return to work, and subsequently retire, now living his passion of antiques dealing. He concludes: “Not living with daily pain is the key to a happy life. I can settle down in the evening, take off my prosthetic leg just like other people would take off their shoes. All I needed to concentrate on was
getting better and learning how to use my leg. Everything since then has been relatively plain sailing, thanks to the surgeons. I am forever grateful.”
Mr. Nightingale says: “It was an honour to
have played a part in helping Tim lead a pain- free life. His optimism is inspiring, and I am absolutely thrilled to hear that he is not having to deal with phantom limb pain, or the chronic nerve symptoms that so many people have to live with following an amputation.”
CSJ
Reference 1. Nightingale CL, Lee KC, Wallace DL. PROCESS guided case series of primary targeted muscle reinnervation and regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces in the prevention of post amputation and phantom limb pain. Injury. 2025 Nov;56(11):112767. doi: 10.1016/
j.injury.2025.112767. Epub 2025 Sep 17. PMID: 40992116.
About BAPRAS
The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) is the voice of plastic surgery in the UK, advancing education in all aspects of the specialty and promoting understanding of contemporary practice. BAPRAS speaks for the majority of reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgeons providing services to patients in the UK today. For more information visit
www.bapras.org.uk
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