Evaluation of Continuous Saphenous Nerve Block to Supplement a Continuous Sciatic Nerve Block After Ankle Surgery

A nerve block catheter is a small tube placed next to a nerve through a needle, and the needle is then removed. Numbing medicine is dripped through the tube to reduce pain sensation from the nerve. The purpose of this research study is to test whether the placement of a second nerve block catheter, rather than a single injection for the saphenous nerve block will improve pain relief and/or reduce pain medication needed after surgery enough to justify two nerve block catheters. There are two nerves that carry pain sensations from the ankle, the large (sciatic) nerve and the smaller (saphenous) nerve. Patients undergoing ankle fusion or fracture surgery at Wake Forest University typically have a nerve block catheter placed next to the sciatic nerve to give local anesthetic (numbing medicine) for 24-72 hours. In addition, a single injection of local anesthetic is usually performed to block the saphenous nerve for 12-16 hours postoperatively.