Adductor Canal Block Versus Femoral Nerve Block for Total Knee Arthroplasty

Peripheral nerve blocks catheters of the femoral nerve have long been used for perioperative analgesia in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). These blocks provide effective analgesia and patient satisfaction for surgical pain relief. However, one of the main drawbacks to the femoral nerve block (FNB) is a denser motor block of the quadriceps muscle that can delay aggressive physical therapy and subsequent recovery from surgery. (1) Recently, there has been increasing interest in performing adductor canal blocks (ACB) with the aim of less motor blockade while providing commensurate analgesia compared to the FNB. (1,2) Current investigative reports have provided only preliminary data, and there is potential to change the standard of care for TKA as more data mounts in favor of ACBs. The goal of this study is to verify the analgesic equivalence of the two blocks, compare patient satisfaction, surgeon satisfaction, and physical therapy grading between the two blocks. Potentially, this would change the standard of care for TKA patients at this institution.