Analgesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty
Analgesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty
The recovery from knee replacement surgery often involves a significant amount of pain. The
 best way to prevent/treat this pain is unknown. This study will compare two accepted methods
 of pain control in order to determine which is superior. The first method involves the
 injection of a solution containing multiple medications into the knee joint at the time of
 surgery. The second method involves the placement of a catheter adjacent to the femoral nerve
 which senses pain from the knee. This catheter is used to deliver local anesthetic which
 serves to block the transmission of pain signals from the nerve. The catheter will be left in
 place until 2 days after surgery. This method is combined with injection of local anesthetic
 in a particular area of the knee joint at the time of surgery. Patients will be followed
 until 2 days after surgery in order to determine which method is superior. We believe the
 second method will be deemed superior.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  ASA I, II, & III patients

 -  Elective primary total knee arthroplasty

 -  Spinal Anesthesia

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients refusing consent

 -  Contraindications to regional anesthesia

 -  Pre-existing neurological disease

 -  Allergy/contraindication to drugs used in the study

 -  Revision knee arthroplasty

 -  Patients with chronic pain/on narcotics preoperatively

 -  Pre-existing Rheumatoid Arthritis/Ankylosing Spondylitis

 -  Alcohol or drug abuse

 -  Psychiatric disorders

 -  Inability to use the outcome assessment tools

 -  Wheel chair or walker dependent for mobilization