Objective: The so-called ankle block represents a local anesthesia form which enables easy performance of all surgical procedures of the foot and ankle.
Indications: Interventions distal to the medial and lateral malleoli.
Contraindications: Acute and chronic infections in the area of injection; allergy to the local anesthesia.
Surgical technique: All five sensory foot nerves are blocked. The two deep lying nerves, the tibial nerve and the deep fibular nerve, can be directly anesthetized perineurally using anatomical landmarks. The other three nerves are subcutaneously infiltrated near their branches.
Results: The success rate ranges from 88 to 94%; smaller areas may also be further blocked intraoperatively. The ankle block is a cost-effective procedure which can also be performed without problems in multimorbid patients due to its minor side effects.
Keywords: Anesthesia; Ankle; Foot surgery; Local anesthetics; Nerve blockade.