Does Adductor Canal Block Have a Synergistic Effect with Local Infiltration Analgesia for Enhancing Ambulation and Improving Analgesia after Total Knee Arthroplasty?

62 patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty with an adductor canal block were randomized to either additional intraoperative local infiltration analgesia or to no additional intervention. Standardized pre- and postoperative oral and intravenous analgesia was administered between groups. The primary purpose of this study was to compared peri- and postoperative functional performance between groups on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test up to 3 months postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included quadriceps strength, pain scores on a visual analog scale, morphine consumption and time to first morphine request, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and the incidence of falls. For the primary outcome, no significant difference in TUG test time was observed between groups at any time point. Additionally, most secondary outcomes demonstrated no significant between group differences, with the exception of mean time to first morphine request, which was significantly shorter in the LIA group compared to control group.