Genicular Nerve Block
The knee is one of the major weight-bearing joints in the human body. It handles a lot of pressure and wears and tear throughout a human’s life. Many factors, including injuries, and diseases, can cause significant knee pain that can rise with age. A Genicular Nerve Block or GNB is a non-surgical procedure to help patients with chronic knee pain. It is a minimally invasive technique to temporarily block the nerve signals from the knee to the brain. If your knee pain is reduced to a significant level via a genicular nerve block, your physician may recommend genicular nerve ablation for more pain relief.
Who Needs This Treatment?
A genicular nerve block is an effective treatment strategy for patients with chronic knee pain. If they find no medication or treatment therapy is working to relieve pain, they can prefer having a genicular nerve block. This non-surgical procedure is perfect for those who:
- Are experiencing pain after partial/full knee replacement surgery
- Have severe osteoarthritis that affects the quality of life adversely
- Feel chronic pain due to an injury that isn't responding to any other treatments
How Genicular Nerve Block is Done?
A genicular nerve block is a minimally invasive treatment plan. It is initiated by administering anaesthesia medication via a needle to block the targeted nerves in your knee. This method prevents the nerves from transferring pain signals from the knee to the brain to ensure you feel no knee pain.
The non-surgical procedure is simple and usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. First of all, your surgeon will target nerves in your knee, i.e. superior medial, superior lateral, and interior medial, with anaesthesia. The anaesthesia is given to numb the nerves so that they can’t push pain signals to the brain. The physician will administer the medication using a needle. The needle may trigger minor discomfort for a patient, however.
The patient can go home the same day as the genicular nerve block procedure.
The procedure of a genicular nerve block is helpful in knowing whether you are a good candidate for genicular nerve ablation. Genicular nerve ablation or radiofrequency ablation is a procedure in which radiofrequency waves are used to treat chronic knee pain. These waves target the knee and prevent pain signals from reaching your brain. It is a more effective pain treatment formula to ensure long-term pain relief.
How long will a genicular nerve block prevent knee pain?
It varies from patient to patient. Each patient and his pain are different. Thus, it is difficult to say about the duration of the effect. Generally, patients experience pain relief from a few hours to 24 hours after undergoing a genicular nerve block procedure. If the procedure is successful, your doctor will recommend a long-term treatment strategy, genicular nerve ablation. It can provide relief from chronic pain for a year or more.
