how long to hip nerve blocks last
Often we will provide the surgical anesthesia with a spinal/epidural and provide pain relief after surgery with a femoral nerve block. The numbness lasts an average of 16 hours. Studies from HSS show that the pain-relieving properties of a femoral nerve block last much longer-up to 3 days. The block alone is usually not enough pain relief, so patients will have either narcotics or an epidural to help with pain, in addition to the femoral nerve block.
For hip surgery, nerve blocks are performed above the groin crease near the nerves that affect the front and side of the hip (âfascia iliaca blockâ or femoral nerve block) or in the back (âlumbar plexus blockâ); both approaches provide similar pain relief.