Genicular nerve block for emergency department patient: a successful management of subacute osteoarthritic knee pain

Abstract

The genicular nerve block (GNB) performed under ultrasound is a common procedure in the perioperative and outpatient setting for the treatment of surgical knee pain and osteoarthritis. It provides motor-sparing analgesia to the knee, making it a potential alternative to other modes of pain management in the emergency department (ED). We present an elderly woman with acute-on-chronic osteoarthritic knee pain which was relieved for a week after a GNB during her ED visit. In patients with knee pain, the ultrasound guided GNB has the potential to provide short-term analgesia for patients with pain refractory to other modes of analgesia. The GNB shows promise as a reliable contribution to a multimodal approach to pain management in the ED setting.