Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
Relieve Knee Pain With Nerve Block Anesthetics

Relieve Knee Pain With Nerve Block Anesthetics

by Dr. Trupti Shirole on Nov 15 2022 1:23 PM
Listen to this article
0:00/0:00

Highlights:
  • Genicular nerve block injections provided temporary pain relief in knee osteoarthritis
  • It can be an effective treatment option for patients waiting for, or wishing to defer surgery
Results from a recent clinical trial suggest that genicular nerve blocks, or locally injected anesthetics that block nerves around the knee joint, provide temporary pain relief for people with knee osteoarthritis.
About 59 participants were randomly assigned to undergo a nerve block or a placebo injection as part of the trial. Participants rated their pain level on a scale of 0 to 10 at the start of the study and in weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12.

Nerve Block Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis

Patients who received a nerve block said their pain scores had improved at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks compared to the baseline, but the effects gradually wore off. At baseline, in weeks 2, 4, and 8, the scores for nerve block versus placebo were 6.2 versus 5.3, 2.7 versus 4.7, 3.2 versus 5.1, 3.9 versus 4.9, and 4.6 versus 5.1, respectively. Most patients who received the blocks believed that during the follow-up period, they had significantly improved from baseline.

Pain Management in Knee Osteoarthritis

“This study demonstrates that genicular nerve block is an effective short-term therapy for pain management in people with knee osteoarthritis,” said corresponding author Ernst M. Shanahan, BMBS, MPH, MHPE, PhD, FAFOEM, FRACP, of Flinders University, in Australia. “We think it may be a useful treatment option for this group of people, in particular those waiting for, or wishing to defer surgery.”

Source-Medindia


Advertisement