More and more surgical procedures, especially in the area of orthopaedics, are being performed using a targeted anesthesia procedure known as a regional nerve block.
A nerve block not only helps effectively manage post-surgical pain but also, in some cases, it can eliminate the need for general anesthesia during surgery.
With regional nerve blocks:
- An anesthesiologist uses sophisticated ultrasound equipment to deliver precise doses of pain numbing medications so that only the area of your body that requires surgery will be numb.
- In many cases the patient can be sedated rather that given general anesthesia.
- The injections provide comfort for up to 24 hours.
- For major procedures, a catheter can be inserted at the site of the nerve block to provide several days of pain relief.
Nerve blocks provide excellent postoperative pain relief for shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist, arm, and hand surgeries.
We also have an anesthesia regional nerve block support phone line if you have any questions or concerns about your block after you leave the hospital. The phone number is provided at the time of your surgery.