FRONT Block for Quality of Recovery After Total Hip Arthroplasty

April 25, 2026 updated by: Betul Kozanhan, Konya Meram State Hospital

Effect of Femoral Rami and Obturator Nerve Trunk (FRONT) Block on Postoperative Quality of Recovery After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

This prospective randomized controlled trial evaluates the effect of ultrasound-guided unilateral Femoral Rami and Obturator Nerve Trunk (FRONT) block on postoperative quality of recovery in patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is associated with significant postoperative pain that may impair early recovery. The Femoral Rami and Obturator Nerve Trunk (FRONT) block is a regional anesthesia technique targeting sensory innervation of the anterior hip capsule and may improve postoperative recovery while preserving motor function. This prospective randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether the addition of ultrasound-guided unilateral FRONT block to standard multimodal analgesia improves postoperative quality of recovery in patients undergoing THA.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Scheduled for total hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
  • Ability to understand and complete the QoR-15 questionnaire
  • Provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Refusal to participate
  • Contraindication to spinal anesthesia or regional block
  • Allergy to study medications
  • Chronic opioid use (daily use for more than 3 months)
  • Neurological or neuromuscular disorders affecting the lower extremities
  • Infection at the injection site
  • Coagulation disorders
  • Cognitive impairment prevents questionnaire completion

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: FRONT Block Group
Participants in this group will receive an ultrasound-guided unilateral Femoral Rami and Obturator Nerve Trunk (FRONT) block in addition to standardized multimodal postoperative analgesia.
Procedure: FRONT Block (Femoral Rami and Obturator Nerve Trunk Block)
Ultrasound-guided unilateral FRONT block targeting the femoral rami and obturator nerve trunk will be performed
Procedure: Standard Multimodal Analgesia
Standardized postoperative multimodal analgesia including intravenous paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and rescue opioid analgesia as required.
Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants in this group will receive standardized multimodal postoperative analgesia without FRONT block.
Procedure: Standard Multimodal Analgesia
Standardized postoperative multimodal analgesia including intravenous paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and rescue opioid analgesia as required.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Quality of Recovery (QoR-15 Score)
Time Frame: 24 hours after surgery
Postoperative quality of recovery will be assessed using the validated Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire. The total score ranges from 0 to 150, with higher scores indicating better recovery.
24 hours after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) Score at 48 Hours
Time Frame: 48 hours after surgery
Quality of recovery will be assessed using the validated Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire (0-150, higher scores indicate better recovery).
48 hours after surgery
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery
Pain intensity will be assessed using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain.
2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery
Total Opioid Consumption
Time Frame: 0-24 hours after surgery
Total postoperative opioid consumption during the first 24 hours will be recorded and converted to intravenous morphine milligram equivalents (MME).
0-24 hours after surgery
Time to First Rescue Analgesia
Time Frame: Within the first 24 hours after surgery
Time from the end of surgery to the first rescue opioid administration will be recorded
Within the first 24 hours after surgery
Time to First Mobilization
Time Frame: Within the first 48 hours after surgery
Time from the end of surgery to first assisted ambulation will be recorded
Within the first 48 hours after surgery
Quadriceps Motor Strength
Time Frame: 0-48 hours after surgery
Quadriceps muscle strength will be evaluated using the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale ranging from 0 (no contraction) to 5 (normal muscle strength).
0-48 hours after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Konya Meram State Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 25, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 5, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 25, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • FRONT BLOCK

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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