Ultrasound Guided Genicular Nerve Block-A Motor Sparing Technique for the Treatment of Acute and Chronic Knee Pain

Abstract

The use of standard block nerve techniques to treat acute and chronic knee pain are limited by their propensity to cause motor weakness which can make the knee unstable and put the patient at risk for additional knee injury and/or falls. Ultrasound guided genicular nerve block with local anaesthetic provides excellent blockade of the sensory innervation to the joint capsule and internal and external ligaments of the knee joint without the motor block associated with conventional nerve block techniques such as femoral nerve and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve blocks making this technique useful in the palliation of acute knee pain secondary to trauma as well as the management of acute post-operative knee pain following intra-articular procedures and total knee arthroplasty. The use of ultrasound guidance simplifies the localization of the genicular nerves and allows identification of adjacent vasculature.