What is Regional Anesthesia?

Regional anesthesia involves using medications called local anesthetics to reduce sensation in a selected region of the body to help with pain control. Regional anesthesia works directly on the nerves and does not circulate to the brain like general anesthesia. This can minimize the sedation and nausea that can sometimes follow general anesthesia.

 

For some surgeries, we may offer a regional anesthetic through a catheter. This catheter will infuse numbing medication to one or more of the nerves that go to your surgical site. For example, for total knee replacements, we often offer a catheter that will infuse numbing medication to one of the nerves to your knee. This is to help with pain control, even after you discharge. If this is an option for you, your anesthesiologist will discuss it with you.

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What are common side effects?

Common side effects of regional anesthesia include temporary numbness and weakness in the part of your body that has received the numbing medicine. This may feel strange, but it is a sign that the anesthesia is working, and will help provide post-surgery pain relief! Your sense of hot and cold in the numbed area is also temporarily altered, so you must be careful not to leave ice packs or heating pads on that area for long periods of time while the numbness persists. As the numbness wears off, it is normal to feel a “pins and needles” sensation. You may go home with a long-acting nerve block to help with pain relief for several days after surgery; if so, you will receive special instructions about it.

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What are the risks?

All procedures, including placing a nerve block, involve some degree of risk. The nature of your operation and your overall pre-operative condition are important factors that are considered when estimating the risks for your particular operative experience. Your anesthesiologist will review your specific risks, and may or may not offer you a peripheral nerve block and/or a spinal.