Ultrasound Guided Combined Adductor Canal, Superior Genicular Nerves and Anterior Femoral Cutaneous Nerves Blocks in Comparison With Periarticular Local Anesthesia Infiltration in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

Pain management after total knee arthroplasty continues to evolve, as effective early postoperative analgesia is essential for patient satisfaction, early mobilization, improved functional outcomes, and reduced hospital stay. Multimodal analgesia strategies have been developed to optimize pain control while minimizing opioid consumption, including periarticular injection and peripheral nerve blocks.

Femoral nerve block has traditionally been used for analgesia after total knee arthroplasty; however, its associated quadriceps weakness may delay mobilization and increase the risk of falls. Consequently, the adductor canal block has gained popularity because it provides predominantly sensory blockade while preserving quadriceps muscle strength.

The sensory innervation of the knee joint is complex and involves branches from the femoral, tibial, common peroneal, saphenous, and obturator nerves. Genicular nerve blocks specifically target the sensory innervation of the knee capsule and have emerged as a promising technique for postoperative pain management. In this study, higher volumes of local anesthetic will be used for the superior genicular nerve blocks to improve coverage of the posterior knee capsule, while the inferolateral genicular nerve block will be avoided because of the potential risk of motor weakness and foot drop.

As the medial parapatellar approach is the most common surgical approach for total knee arthroplasty, the anterior femoral cutaneous nerve, which supplies the anteromedial aspect of the distal thigh and knee, may represent an additional target for postoperative analgesia.

Periarticular injection is a surgeon-administered analgesic technique that provides effective early postoperative pain relief without affecting quadriceps strength and has become widely adopted in total knee arthroplasty.

The aim of this study is to compare the analgesic efficacy of a combined approach using adductor canal block, superior genicular nerve blocks, and anterior femoral cutaneous nerve block with periarticular injection in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. We hypothesize that adding superior genicular nerve blocks and anterior femoral cutaneous nerve block to adductor canal block will provide superior postoperative analgesia compared with periarticular injection.

A prospective randomized blinded trial will be conducted at Qassim University Hospital after obtaining written informed consent. Adult patients undergoing primary unilateral total knee replacement, aged above 18 years, with a body mass index below 40 kg/m² and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II will be included. Patients with contraindications to spinal anesthesia, allergy to study medications, opioid dependence, previous knee surgery, chronic neuropathic pain, or regular use of analgesics other than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will be excluded.

All patients will undergo routine preoperative assessment and laboratory investigations. In the operating room, standard monitoring will be applied, intravenous access established, and crystalloid infusion commenced.

Spinal anesthesia will be performed under aseptic conditions using hyperbaric bupivacaine, followed by intravenous sedation with midazolam, fentanyl, and propofol infusion. All patients will receive prophylactic antibiotics and tranexamic acid, with supplemental oxygen and capnography monitoring throughout the procedure.

All surgeries will be performed using a standardized surgical technique by the same surgical team, while regional anesthesia procedures will be performed by the same anesthesiologists. Outcome assessors and data analysts will remain blinded to group allocation.

Postoperative analgesia will include regular paracetamol and ketorolac, with intravenous morphine provided as rescue analgesia when required. After discharge, patients will receive oral paracetamol and celecoxib, with tramadol and antiemetics prescribed as needed.