Amputation surgeries are sometimes used to treat cancer that affects an extremity, including toes, fingers, legs and arms. When a limb is removed from the body, it can be difficult for the brain and nervous system to readjust after the loss. 

“The brain will send signals out to try to find the missing appendage and it won’t get signals back, which can lead to pain for amputees,” explains plastic surgeon Margaret Roubaud, M.D...