Adding sensory nerve blocks to local pain injections for total knee replacement
Official title: Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Knee Replacement Surgery - a Study Comparing Intraoperative Local Infiltration Analgesia Only With Ultrasound-guided Nerve Blocks Added to Intraoperative Local Infiltration Analgesia, a Randomized Clinical Trial
Run by Region Skane · NCT07350252 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial tests whether adding three sensory nerve blocks to standard local pain injections reduces pain and opioid use after primary unilateral total knee replacement.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 4 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 200 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Region Skane Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Trelleborg) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | March 5, 2026 |
| Main results expected | March 1, 2027 |
| Study ends | September 1, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | May 8, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07350252 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults scheduled for primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty who can understand spoken and written Swedish and have no contraindications to regional anesthesia or allergy to local anesthetics are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People who are pregnant, have coagulopathy or other bleeding disorders, allergies to local anesthetics, or cannot understand Swedish are excluded and therefore would not participate or benefit from this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a randomized Phase 4 trial comparing standard local infiltration analgesia (LIA) alone versus LIA plus three sensory nerve blocks (saphenous nerve, nerve to vastus medialis, and anterior femoral cutaneous nerve) in patients having primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty. Pain intensity is the primary outcome and will be measured with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at multiple time points after surgery. Secondary outcomes include opioid consumption, time to mobilization, postoperative nausea and vomiting, length of stay, and neurological complications, with subgroup comparisons between general and spinal anesthesia. The blocks use ropivacaine with clonidine and the trial is conducted at the Department of Anaesthesiology, Trelleborg Hospital, Sweden.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience better postoperative pain control, need fewer opioids, and mobilize earlier without losing quadriceps strength.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown adductor canal (sensory) blocks plus LIA can match femoral nerve block for pain while preserving motor function, but combining saphenous, vastus medialis, and anterior femoral cutaneous nerve blocks together with LIA is less well studied.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: -Undergoing primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * Coagulopathy or other bleeding disorder that precludes regional anesthesia * Allergy to local anesthetics * Inability to understand spoken and written Swedish * Unwillingness to participate in the study
Where it's running
-
Department of Anaesthesiology, Trelleborg Hospital
Trelleborg, Sweden Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Andreas Ekman, MD, PhD — VO Planned Operations, Trelleborg Hospital, and Lund University, Sweden
- Study coordinator: Fredrik Fellert, MD
- Email: fredrik.fellert@med.lu.se
- Phone: +46736552249
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Can robotic-assisted knee replacement with functional alignment improve outcomes vs. standard knee replacement?
This trial tests whether using the VELYS robotic system during total knee replacement helps patients with knee osteoarthritis feel better and move more comfortably compared with conventional non-robotic surgery.
-
BETY with intra-articular injections for knee osteoarthritis
This will try whether adding BETY to intra-articular knee injections reduces pain and improves function in adults with stage 2 or 3 knee osteoarthritis.
-
Home-based leg dexterity training for knee osteoarthritis
This study will test whether an at-home leg dexterity device can reduce pain and improve function for people aged 40–85 with knee osteoarthritis compared with wobble-board exercises.
-
Catheter embolization of small knee arteries to relieve osteoarthritis pain
This study will try using a catheter procedure to block small arteries around the knee to reduce chronic pain in adults 40–80 with knee osteoarthritis or persistent pain after knee replacement who haven't found enough relief from standard treatments.
-
Bimodal vs Unimodal High-Intensity Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy for Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis
This trial will test whether applying high-intensity pulsed electromagnetic fields to both the knee and quadriceps reduces pain and improves function more than applying it only to the knee in adults 60 and older with knee osteoarthritis.
-
Methotrexate for knee osteoarthritis with ultrasound-proven synovitis
This randomized trial will try methotrexate versus placebo to see if it reduces pain and inflamed lining (synovitis) in people aged 40–70 with knee osteoarthritis confirmed by ultrasound.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.