The patients who have had a nerve block after knee replacement surgery do need knee immobilizer after the surgery. I advise this knee immobilizer so that the risk of falling is decreased. With a nerve block, the patient’s thigh muscles are weak but the pain is controlled. I have found that the patients feel that they can walk but because of the nerve block the muscles on the affected side are still weak. That knee can therefore buckle leading to a fall. For this reason, I advise using a knee immobilizer if the patient has had an anesthetic knee block after knee replacement surgery for ambulation.
Additionally I advise is that the patients should not be getting up by themselves the first few times after the surgery and attempting to walk. It is mandatory to have help the first time the patient walks after knee replacement surgery. Immediately after surgery, patients do not have good balance because of a variety of reasons including medications, weakness in the muscles, etc. and falls may lead to fractures around the knee or elsewhere.