Genicular nerve blocks provide short-term pain relief for patients with knee osteoarthritis

Genicular nerve blocks provide short-term pain relief for patients with knee osteoarthritis

Results from a recent clinical trial published by Wiley in Arthritis & Rheumatology show that patients with knee osteoarthritis experience short-term pain relief from genicular nerve blocks or locally injected anesthetics that block nerves around the knee joint.

In the study, 59 patients were randomized to receive a nerve block or a placebo injection. At baseline and weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12, participants recorded their pain on a scale of 0 to 10.

Patients who received a nerve block reported improvement in pain scores compared to baseline at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, but with decreasing effects over time. The values ​​for nerve block versus placebo at baseline, weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12 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 felt that they had improved or greatly improved from baseline during the follow-up period.

This study shows that genicular nerve block is an effective short-term therapy for pain management in people with knee osteoarthritis. We believe it may be a useful treatment option for this population, particularly those who are waiting for or wish to postpone surgery.”

Ernst M. Shanahan, BMBS, MPH, MHPE, PhD, FAFOEM, FRACP, corresponding author, Flinders University, Australia

Source:

Wiley

Reference:

Shanahan, EM, et al. (2022) Genicular nerve block for pain management in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. Arthritis & Rheumatology. doi.org/10.1002/art.42384.

.