Aim: The study sought to evaluate the influence of anesthesia on chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: This was a single-center, randomized controlled study, with patients receiving a spinal anesthetic (SP) alone or a general anesthetic (GA) with femoral block, with follow-up at 3 and at 6 months. The primary outcome was the WOMAC® score at 6 months. Results: 199 patients were enrolled. Group SP had better function (WOMAC: GA: 16.9 vs SP: 14.4, p = 0.015) and less pain (WOMAC pain: GA: 3.04 vs SP: 2.69, p = 0.02) at 3 months, but not at 6 months. Overall, 11% of patients had chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), with Group GA having a higher incidence of CPSP at 6 months. Neuropathic pain increased during the follow-up and was more common in patients with CPSP. Conclusion: An SP reduces pain and incidence of CPSP after TKA. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04206046 ( ClinicalTrials.gov )
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.