Regional Blocks for Lumbar Disc Surgery Analgesia

With an annual frequency of 10% to 15% among healthy adults, low back pain is a significant global public health concern. For low back pain, the typical visual analog scale (VAS) score is approximately 4, indicating moderate pain severity (1). A common cause of back and leg pain is intervertebral disc herniation, which causes throbbing anguish in the lower extremities along with radicular pain. Lumbar disc surgery is a common procedure for people with moderate to severe back pain and radicular symptoms. Surgery may be necessary for people with chronic symptoms, neurological deficits, or inadequate pain relief with conservative treatment, even though acute intervertebral disc herniation often resolves on its own without surgery.

After lumbar disc herniation surgery, postoperative pain management is still crucial since inadequate pain management can lead to prolonged hospital stays, slower recovery, and a poorer quality of life. Numerous strategies have been used to manage postoperative pain, such as regional anesthetic procedures, epidural steroid injections, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and even unconventional methods like electroacupuncture. Due of their capacity to provide targeted pain relief while minimizing systemic effects, regional anesthetic procedures have become increasingly popular among these.

In lumbar surgery, the paravertebral block (PVB) is a common regional anesthetic technique. A local anesthetic is injected close to the spinal nerves, and it typically relieves pain over four dermatomes (two above and two below the injection site). Patients with spinal anomalies or those for whom neuraxial anesthesia is contraindicated have been shown to benefit greatly from PVB. Additionally, it differs from other peripheral nerve blocks in its ability to reduce visceral and somatic pain. However, PVB requires technical know-how and might have negative effects like vascular injury and pneumothorax, particularly when performed by unskilled professionals.

PVB is being replaced by more recent truncal block methods such retrolaminar blocks (RLB) and the thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP). For effective analgesia during lumbar spine surgery, the TLIP block targets the thoracolumbar fascia. According to recent studies, the TLIP block can enhance recovery quality, decrease postoperative pain levels, and lessen the need for rescue medications. In a similar vein, the RLB, which involves administering a local anesthetic into the retrolaminar area, has been associated with shorter recovery periods, reduced postoperative pain scores, and decreased narcotic usage. Compared to PVB, these contemporary techniques are less invasive, simpler to do under ultrasound guidance, and possibly less problematic.

Comparative research is required to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and viability of TLIP and RLB in the setting of lumbar disc herniation surgery, given their increasing popularity as PVB substitutes. Previous research has primarily focused on the individual efficacy of these methods; however, head-to-head comparisons remain limited. The aim of this study is to investigate at the analgesic efficacy, sensory coverage, and side effect profiles of PVB, TLIP, and RLB in patients having lumbar disc herniation surgery. By doing so, we intend to determine if TLIP and RLB are viable alternatives to PVB, particularly in terms of side effects and patient recovery.