Peripheral nerve blocks at the knee and ankle in operations for common foot disorders.

Two hundred eighty-four outpatients who had common foot disorders underwent operation after administration of regional anesthesia, peripheral nerve blocks at the knee and ankle and an ankle tourniquet. In a prospective series of 59 patients, the technique used in analgesic blocks of the foot is described, and the amount and latency of the local anesthetic agent were evaluated, as well as the duration of analgesia. The blocks were complete in 95% of the patients. Reblocking was never necessary. None of the 284 patients showed signs of postanesthetic neuralgia. The method is inexpensive, easy to perform and recommended for treatment of foot disorders.