Surgeon-Administered Anterolateral Geniculate Nerve Block as an Adjunct to Regional Anesthetic for Pain Management Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Regional anesthetic blockade of the adductor canal following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has gained popularity due to theoretical benefit of improved patient experience, decreased requirement for pain medication and maintained motor function. However, this block does not cover the anterior and lateral genicular innervation to the knee, which may lead to persistent pain postoperatively. The following Technical Note details the genicular nervous system and provides rationale and technique for performing a simple surgeon-administered regional anesthetic at the completion of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction to address the anterior and lateral genicular nervous system.

Automated summary

Regional anesthetic blockade of the adductor canal following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is popular but may not cover all the important nerves supplying the knee joint. This Technical Note provides a rationale and technique for performing a surgeon-administered regional anesthetic to target the anterior and lateral genicular nerves, addressing the potential postoperative pain.