Learning About Peripheral Nerve Block

A peripheral nerve block is an injection (shot) of medicine to numb a part of your body before an operation, or to control pain right after an operation. It’s a type of regional anesthesia. To do this type of nerve block, your doctor injects a numbing medicine into a nerve or bundle of nerves, which numbs the area below.

Peripheral nerve blocks are often done on the arm, hand, leg, or foot.

Before the procedure:

• Tell your doctor about any medicines or supplements you take.
• Let your doctor know if you might be pregnant.
• Follow any directions your doctor may give you for not eating or drinking before getting the nerve block.

You might get a sedative (a medicine to help you relax) through a needle into your arm. Then your doctor or nurse will clean your skin with an antiseptic where the needle will be placed. They'll inject a medicine to numb the skin in the area where you’ll get the nerve block.

Your doctor might use ultrasound to help find the best spot to place the nerve block. They might also use a technique called peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS). It uses an electrical signal to cause a brief muscle twitch.

After finding the best spot, your doctor will inject the numbing medicine as close to the nerve as possible.

Most people are able to go home the same day. If you had sedation to help you relax, you’ll need someone to drive you home from the hospital.

Numbness from the peripheral nerve block will last a few hours to a day or two, depending on the type and dose of medicine you got.

The most common side effect is bruising or pain where you got the injection. This usually goes away within a few days.

Serious side effects are rare, but they can happen. These include:

• Infection or bleeding.
• Nerve damage.
• An allergic reaction to the medicine.
• Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST), a rare problem that can happen if the medicine is absorbed into the bloodstream too quickly.

There’s also a chance that the nerve block won’t work. If that happens, you’ll work with your doctor to try other things.