Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Several variables are thought to have an effect on the post-operative pain relief after reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. In the past decade, the role of regional nerve blocks in the management of post-operative pain has become established. The technique(s)...

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Main Authors: Sultan N. Qasim FRCS (Tr & Orth), Ash Gulati MBBS, FRCS Orth. DPhil(Oxford)MBA, Edward G. Alcorn, Sara Venturini, Atul Gaur, Jitendra Mangwani MBBS, MS, FRCS (Tr&Orth)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2016-08-01
Series:Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2473011416S00073
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author Sultan N. Qasim FRCS (Tr & Orth)
Ash Gulati MBBS, FRCS Orth. DPhil(Oxford)MBA
Edward G. Alcorn
Sara Venturini
Atul Gaur
Jitendra Mangwani MBBS, MS, FRCS (Tr&Orth)
author_facet Sultan N. Qasim FRCS (Tr & Orth)
Ash Gulati MBBS, FRCS Orth. DPhil(Oxford)MBA
Edward G. Alcorn
Sara Venturini
Atul Gaur
Jitendra Mangwani MBBS, MS, FRCS (Tr&Orth)
author_sort Sultan N. Qasim FRCS (Tr & Orth)
collection DOAJ
description Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Several variables are thought to have an effect on the post-operative pain relief after reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. In the past decade, the role of regional nerve blocks in the management of post-operative pain has become established. The technique(s) of regional blocks varies between centers and the published literature on this subject is inconsistent. More recently, image guided regional nerve blocks for post-op pain relief in F&A surgery have gained popularity. Traditionally, hindfoot reconstructive procedures are deemed to be more painful than the surgery involving the rest of the foot. This prospective study was carried out to examine this question. Methods: 143 patients undergoing elective foot and ankle surgery were prospectively studied. In addition to the demographics, the details of the anaesthetic used were also recorded. 70 patients received peripheral nerve blockade with guidance either by a nerve stimulator or ultrasonography. The procedures were categorised into those belonging to the forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot or combined. The magnitude of pain was recorded immediately post-operatively, at 6 hours and at 24 hours after the surgery, using the visual analog scale (VAS, 0 as ‘no pain’ and 10 as ‘ the worst possible pain’). All adverse effects were recorded. The patients’ satisfaction at two weeks after surgery was also assessed. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to perform non-parametric analysis between the groups. For categorical data, Pearson’s Chi-square test was used. Significant difference was demonstrated by a p-value < 0.05. Results: There was no difference in post-operative, 6 hours or 24 hours VAS in the patients having the hindfoot surgery or those having surgery involving the rest of the foot. Although patients who underwent peripheral nerve block had a satisfactory initial pain relief, they experienced significantly more pain at 24 hours than those who did not have a block (Table 1). There was no significant difference in the hospital stay or patient satisfaction at two weeks. In total, 94% patients were satisfied with their anaesthetic and would not mind having it again. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that contrary to the popular belief, hindfoot surgery is not more painful than the surgery involving the rest of the foot. Our results showed that patients who received peripheral nerve block probably had rebound pain at 24 hours after the surgery. Further studies are needed to explore this relationship. The detailed information provided by this study about the mean (and SD) VAS at various time points after surgery can be used to predict post-operative pain based on various pre-operative surgical and anaesthetic parameters.
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spelling doaj.art-a4e5d2244823486195f09069160d81482022-12-21T23:35:22ZengSAGE PublishingFoot & Ankle Orthopaedics2473-01142016-08-01110.1177/2473011416S00073Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?Sultan N. Qasim FRCS (Tr & Orth)Ash Gulati MBBS, FRCS Orth. DPhil(Oxford)MBAEdward G. AlcornSara VenturiniAtul GaurJitendra Mangwani MBBS, MS, FRCS (Tr&Orth)Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Several variables are thought to have an effect on the post-operative pain relief after reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. In the past decade, the role of regional nerve blocks in the management of post-operative pain has become established. The technique(s) of regional blocks varies between centers and the published literature on this subject is inconsistent. More recently, image guided regional nerve blocks for post-op pain relief in F&A surgery have gained popularity. Traditionally, hindfoot reconstructive procedures are deemed to be more painful than the surgery involving the rest of the foot. This prospective study was carried out to examine this question. Methods: 143 patients undergoing elective foot and ankle surgery were prospectively studied. In addition to the demographics, the details of the anaesthetic used were also recorded. 70 patients received peripheral nerve blockade with guidance either by a nerve stimulator or ultrasonography. The procedures were categorised into those belonging to the forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot or combined. The magnitude of pain was recorded immediately post-operatively, at 6 hours and at 24 hours after the surgery, using the visual analog scale (VAS, 0 as ‘no pain’ and 10 as ‘ the worst possible pain’). All adverse effects were recorded. The patients’ satisfaction at two weeks after surgery was also assessed. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to perform non-parametric analysis between the groups. For categorical data, Pearson’s Chi-square test was used. Significant difference was demonstrated by a p-value < 0.05. Results: There was no difference in post-operative, 6 hours or 24 hours VAS in the patients having the hindfoot surgery or those having surgery involving the rest of the foot. Although patients who underwent peripheral nerve block had a satisfactory initial pain relief, they experienced significantly more pain at 24 hours than those who did not have a block (Table 1). There was no significant difference in the hospital stay or patient satisfaction at two weeks. In total, 94% patients were satisfied with their anaesthetic and would not mind having it again. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that contrary to the popular belief, hindfoot surgery is not more painful than the surgery involving the rest of the foot. Our results showed that patients who received peripheral nerve block probably had rebound pain at 24 hours after the surgery. Further studies are needed to explore this relationship. The detailed information provided by this study about the mean (and SD) VAS at various time points after surgery can be used to predict post-operative pain based on various pre-operative surgical and anaesthetic parameters.https://doi.org/10.1177/2473011416S00073
spellingShingle Sultan N. Qasim FRCS (Tr & Orth)
Ash Gulati MBBS, FRCS Orth. DPhil(Oxford)MBA
Edward G. Alcorn
Sara Venturini
Atul Gaur
Jitendra Mangwani MBBS, MS, FRCS (Tr&Orth)
Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?
Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics
title Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?
title_full Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?
title_fullStr Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?
title_full_unstemmed Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?
title_short Are Hindfoot Procedures More Painful than Forefoot – A Prospective Cohort Study in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery?
title_sort are hindfoot procedures more painful than forefoot a prospective cohort study in foot and ankle reconstructive surgery
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2473011416S00073
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