Multimodal Analgesia vs. Femoral Block in ACL Surgery

Postoperative pain following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is typically acute in nature and may hinder early physiotherapy interventions. Effective postoperative pain control is essential for optimizing rehabilitation outcomes by enabling early mobilization, which can reduce the risk of thromboembolic complications, maintain pulmonary function, and mitigate metabolic and endocrine stress responses. Adequate analgesia also helps prevent the development of chronic pain, supports cognitive function, and may shorten hospital stay.

ACL injuries are commonly observed in athletes, as well as middle-aged individuals engaging in recreational activities. The success of ACL reconstruction surgery is highly dependent on early and effective postoperative rehabilitation, particularly muscle strength restoration.

Delayed mobilization following surgery may lead to muscle atrophy, cartilage degeneration, and connective tissue adhesions. Early ambulation and rehabilitation are critical for tissue healing and for maintaining joint function and mobility.

Various methods have been utilized for postoperative analgesia, including patient-controlled epidural analgesia, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), peripheral nerve blocks, and intra-articular local anesthetic infiltration. Multimodal analgesia protocols have demonstrated superior outcomes in terms of pain control, opioid-sparing effects, and patient satisfaction when compared with single-modality approaches.

This prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial will compare the effects of preemptive intravenous multimodal analgesia and femoral triangle block on early postoperative rehabilitation compliance in adult patients undergoing ACL reconstruction under general anesthesia. The interventions are routinely used in clinical practice and are recognized as safe and effective.

The primary objective is to evaluate whether either approach improves compliance with early rehabilitation tasks. Compliance will be assessed using functional recovery metrics including the straight leg raise test, sit-to-stand success, and patient-reported pain scores using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at predefined postoperative time points.

Secondary endpoints include total opioid consumption, frequency of opioid-related adverse events (e.g., nausea, vomiting, itching), and overall patient satisfaction. This study addresses a current gap in the literature, as no previous trials have directly compared these two methods in this clinical context.