Knee Surg Relat Res.  2016 Sep;28(3):233-238. 10.5792/ksrr.2016.28.3.233.

Comparative Effects of Periarticular Multimodal Drug Injection and Single-Shot Femoral Nerve Block on Pain Following Total Knee Arthroplasty and Factors Influencing Their Effectiveness

• Nakagawa S
• Arai Y
• Inoue H
• Kan H
• Hino M
• Ichimaru S
• Ikoma K
• Fujiwara H
• Amaya F
• Sawa T
• Kubo T

• KMID: 2350102
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5792/ksrr.2016.28.3.233

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study compared the analgesic effects of local infiltration analgesia (LIA) and femoral nerve block (FNB) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and assessed factors associated with analgesia obtained by these two methods.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study subjects included 66 patients (72 knees) who underwent TKA for osteoarthritis of the knee. Pain visual analogue scale (VAS), the amount of analgesics used, number of days to achieve 90° of flexion of the knee joint, date of initiating parallel-bar walking, range of motion of the knee joint at discharge, and adverse events were investigated.
RESULTS
The VAS scores did not differ significantly between two groups, whereas the amount of analgesics used was significantly lower in the LIA group. Preoperative flexion contracture was significantly more severe in the LIA group with high VAS compared with low VAS. No serious adverse event occurred in the LIA or FNB group.
CONCLUSIONS
The lower analgesic usage in the LIA group than the FNB group indicates that the analgesic effect of LIA was greater than that of singleshot FNB after TKA. There were no serious complications in either group. The postoperative analgesic effect of LIA was smaller in patients with severe than less severe preoperative flexion contracture.

Keyword

Knee; Arthroplasty; Femoral nerve block; Local infiltration analgesia; Flexion contracture

MeSH Terms

Analgesia
Analgesics
Arthroplasty
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee*
Contracture
Femoral Nerve*
Humans
Knee
Knee Joint
Osteoarthritis
Range of Motion, Articular
Walking
Analgesics