[Regional analgesia after lower limb orthopaedic surgery]

To provide postoperative analgesia, the anaesthesist has at his disposal a panel of different medications and also regional techniques of neural blockade. Loco-Regional analgesia (epidural or peripheral nerve block), by the use of local anaesthetics, blocks conduction of the painful influx to th central nervous system. Pain relief using peripheral nerve blocks after lower limb surgery represents as good alternative to the epidural analgesia and is superior to controlled analgesia with morphine. Peripheral nerve blocks, by decreasing the use of opioids in the postoperative period, reduce the incidence of side effects related to these molecules. They are also devoided of the adverse events due to the epidural analgesia like urinary retention or need for continuous monitoring. Analgesia after total knee prosthesis and hallux valgus surgery has considerably evolved. Postoperative analgesia is important in these cases: it facilitates physical therapy and improves patient's rehabilitation and satisfaction, it also shortens hospital stay. The aim of this review is to explain the different techniques of peripheral neural blockade and assess the value of this technique for the postoperative period after these two surgeries.