Local anaesthesia/analgesia of the limbs

This article describes the use of local anaesthetic, adjunctive drugs and techniques to provide pain relief for limb trauma including surgery. It reiterates the common complications of using local anaesthetic techniques including signs of systemic overdose. The specific techniques described are approaches to the brachial plexus blockade for the forelimb and specific nerve blocks (radial, ulnar, median, sciatic femoral, tibial, common peroneal and digital). A technique which is commonly used in large animals, intravenous regional analgesia, is advocated for surgery below the carpus and tarsus. Intra‐articular administration of local analgesics with alpha‐2 agonists and/or opiates also provides excellent postoperative analgesia.