Popliteal sciatic nerve blocks after foot and ankle surgery: an adjunct to postoperative analgesia.

The use of sciatic popliteal nerve blocks in conjunction with common peroneal and saphenous nerve blocks can provide prolonged hours of analgesia after foot and ankle surgery. This adjunct to analgesia allows for reduced amounts of postoperative opioids and the undesirable and adverse effects associated with these drugs. The peripheral blocks are technically easy to perform and offer the surgical patient many hours of pain relief. Furthermore, when utilized preoperatively, a lighter depth of anesthesia can be maintained with little demand for opioids so that the postoperative recovery will be accelerated with fewer complications.