PENG vs PHPB for Hip Arthroplasty Analgesia

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a commonly performed surgical procedure, and its incidence continues to rise with the aging population. Effective postoperative analgesia facilitates early mobilization and accelerates recovery. The pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block provides analgesia to the anterior hip capsule by targeting the articular branches of the femoral, obturator, and accessory obturator nerves. However, due to the contribution of sacral plexus-derived nerves (quadratus femoris, superior gluteal, and inferior gluteal nerves) to posterior hip pain, anterior blocks alone may be insufficient. This prospective study aims to compare the efficacy of preoperatively administered PENG block alone versus the combination of PENG and posterior hip pericapsular block (PHPB) in postoperative pain control after total hip arthroplasty. The primary outcome is postoperative pain intensity assessed by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary outcomes include the Quality of Recovery score (QoR-15), opioid consumption, manual muscle testing (MMT) results, time to mobilization, and block-related complications.