Pericapsular nerve group block for osteoarthritis-related chronic hip joint pain: a case report

Abstract

Background: Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block has shown effectiveness for acute hip pain associated with fractures and surgery. Herein, PENG block was performed for osteoarthritis (OA)-related chronic hip joint pain. Case presentation: A 65-year-old woman presented left hip pain. She had bilateral hip osteoarthritis that improved with medications; however, a fall resulted in left hip pain. She experienced severe pain on movements, which required walking aids. To alleviate the hip pain, a PENG block was performed under ultrasound guidance. Transient muscle weakness occurred in 2 of 5 times. After 5 blocks, she regained the ability to walk without assistive devices. Pain did not recur even after 6 months. Conclusions: Repeated PENG blocks of short-acting local anesthetics alone could be an effective pain management technique for chronic hip pain. For safety, the appropriate injection site and local anesthetic dosage must be carefully considered.