The efficacy of intra-articular bupivacaine for relief of pain following arthroscopy of the ankle

35 patients undergoing arthroscopy of the ankle were randomized to receive intra-articular saline or bupivacaine 0,5%. Over 2 hours post-surgery, the bupivacaine group experienced significantly less pain than the saline group. At all follow up periods after 2 hours, the patients who received bupivacaine displayed a trend toward lower pain scores than those who received saline; however, this difference was not significant. In addition, the bupivacaine group also required less IV tramadol than the saline group for the purpose of pain relief. Intra-articular bupivacaine therefore appears to be an effective analgesic following arthroscopy of the ankle.