GENicular Nerve Block in KNEE Arthroplasty (GENKNEE)

May 11, 2026 updated by: Helse Møre og Romsdal HF

GENicular Nerve Block in KNEE Arthroplasty - The GENKNEE Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a preoperative genicular nerve block (GNB) can reduce pain after knee replacement surgery in adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It will also assess whether this treatment can reduce opioid use and improve recovery.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does a preoperative GNB reduce pain during movement 24 hours after surgery compared with placebo?
  • Does it reduce opioid consumption and improve physical activity and functional outcomes after surgery?

Researchers will compare patients receiving a GNB to patients receiving a placebo injection to see if the nerve block improves postoperative pain and recovery.

Participants will:

  • Be randomly assigned to receive either a GNB or a placebo injection before surgery
  • Undergo standard knee replacement surgery and postoperative care
  • Report pain levels at regular intervals after surgery
  • Complete questionnaires on function, quality of life, and recovery
  • Wear an activity monitor to measure physical activity after surgery
  • Attend follow-up assessments at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition that causes pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. For many patients, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective treatment to relieve pain and improve function. However, managing pain after surgery remains a major challenge. Poorly controlled pain can delay recovery, reduce mobility, and increase the need for opioid medications, which may have unwanted side effects.

This study investigates whether a specific pain treatment called a genicular nerve block (GNB) can improve pain control after knee replacement surgery. A GNB is a minimally invasive procedure where a local anesthetic is injected around small sensory nerves that supply the knee. While this technique is already used to treat chronic knee pain, its effect when given before surgery is not well established.

In this randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, patients undergoing primary TKA surgery will be assigned to receive either a GNB or a placebo injection before the operation. Neither the patients nor the healthcare providers involved in their care will know which treatment is given, ensuring unbiased results.

The main goal of the study is to determine whether patients who receive the nerve block experience less pain during movement in the first 24 hours after surgery compared with those who receive placebo. In addition, the study will evaluate whether the nerve block reduces the need for opioid pain medications, improves early physical activity, and leads to better recovery and function in the weeks and months after surgery.

Participants will be followed for three months after surgery. During this period, they will report pain levels, complete questionnaires about their function and quality of life, and wear an activity monitor to measure movement and recovery. The study will also assess possible side effects and complications, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the treatment.

By improving pain management and recovery after TKA, this study aims to contribute to better patient outcomes and more effective use of healthcare resources.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

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:

  • Symptomatic knee OA grade II-IV according to the Kellgren-Lawrence classification system scheduled for primary total knee arthroplasty
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status grade I-III
  • Able to provide written informed consent
  • Able to undergo surgery under spinal anesthesia

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 18 or older than 80 years
  • ASA physical status IV
  • Allergy to local anesthetics
  • Revision surgery
  • Chronic opioid use (> 3 months)
  • Coagulopathy
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Inability to comply with study procedures
  • Patients scheduled for day care surgery.

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: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Genicular nerve block (GNB)
Ultrasound-guided GNB with 5 mL of 5 mg/mL ropivacaine at the superolateral genicular nerve (SLGN), superomedial genicular nerve (SMGN), and the inferomedial genicular nerve (IMGN) with a total volume of 15 mL.
Procedure: Preoperative genicular nerve block (GNB)

Participants randomized to the intervention group will receive a preoperative ultrasound-guided genicular nerve block prior to surgery. The procedure is performed under sterile conditions by an experienced anesthesiologist using ultrasound guidance to identify anatomical landmarks.

A local anesthetic (ropivacaine 5 mg/mL) is injected at three sites targeting the sensory innervation of the knee joint: the superolateral, superomedial, and inferomedial genicular nerves. A volume of 5 mL is administered at each site, for a total of 15 mL. If the accompanying genicular artery is not visualized, the injection is performed at the corresponding bony landmark.

The intervention is administered once before surgery in addition to standard perioperative care, including spinal anesthesia, multimodal analgesia, and local infiltration analgesia during surgery.

Other Names:
  • GNB
  • Ultrasound-guided genicular nerve block
Placebo Comparator: Placebo nerve block
Ultrasound-guided placebo nerve block using 5 mL of 0.9% normal saline at the superolateral genicular nerve (SLGN), superomedial genicular nerve (SMGN), and the inferomedial genicular nerve (IMGN) with a total volume of 15 mL.
Procedure: Placebo nerve block
Participants randomized to the placebo group will receive a preoperative ultrasound-guided placebo nerve block prior to surgery. The procedure is performed under sterile conditions by an experienced anesthesiologist using ultrasound guidance to identify anatomical landmarks. 5 mL of 0.9% normal saline is injected at three sites targeting the sensory innervation of the knee joint: the superolateral, superomedial, and inferomedial genicular nerves. A volume of 5 mL is administered at each site, for a total of 15 mL. If the accompanying genicular artery is not visualized, the injection is performed at the corresponding bony landmark. The intervention is administered once before surgery in addition to standard perioperative care.
Other Names:
  • Saline nerve block

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Nummerical rating scale (NRS) pain
Time Frame: 24 hours
Pain during ambulation measured using an 11-point NRS (0-10); reported as the difference in mean scores between the GNB and placebo groups.
24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
NRS Pain
Time Frame: 1 week, 1 month and 3 months
Pain during ambulation measured using an 11-point NRS (0-10) at predefined postoperative time points; reported as the difference in mean scores between the GNB and placebo groups.
1 week, 1 month and 3 months
Cumulative opioid consumption
Time Frame: 3 months
Self-reported oral opioid consumption collected via telephone or digital questionnaire and converted to cumulative oral morphine equivalents (MED) using standard conversion factors.
3 months
EQ-5D-5L
Time Frame: 3 months
A generic patient reported outcome measure measuring quality of life. The scale ranges from 100 ('the best imaginable health state') to 0 ('the worst imaginable health state' ).
3 months
Steps per day
Time Frame: 1 week and 3 months
ActivPAL4Pro accelerator registration of mean steps per day measured 24/7 for a week.
1 week and 3 months
Forgotten Joint Score (FJS)
Time Frame: 1 week and 3 months
FJS is a 12 item scale assessing the ability to forget the operated joint as artificial during activities of daily living. Ranges from 0 (bad) to 100 (excellent)
1 week and 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Helse Møre og Romsdal HF

Collaborators

Oslo University Hospital
St. Olavs Hospital
The Nordmøre and Romsdal Hospital Trust

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Tommy Frøseth Aae, MD, PhD, Department of orthopedic surgery, Nordmøre and Romsdal Hospital, Møre and Romsdal Hospital Trust, Norway

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 962588
  • 2026/2578 (Other Identifier: Møre and Romsdal Hospital Trust)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data will be made available upon reasonable request following publication of the primary results. Data will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal, subject to a data access agreement, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

After publication and for 2 years

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be shared in a secure manner, and access may require approval from relevant ethics or data protection authorities.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

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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