Preoperative ankle block for postoperative analgesia in foot surgery.

Background: The use of a tourniquet and patients' preference for general anesthesia (GA) limit performing ankle blocks (AB) as a sole anesthetic technique for orthopedic foot surgery. The aim of this prospective and randomized study was to test the hypothesis that administration of an AB before GA could be effective for postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing outpatient hallux valgus surgery. Primary outcome measure was mean pain score and secondary outcome measures were time to mobilization of patients, time to hospital discharge, and complications.