This randomized clinical study compared two methods of pain relief used before spinal anaesthesia in patients undergoing surgery for a femur fracture. Positioning a patient with a fractured femur into the side-lying position required for spinal anaesthesia can cause severe pain because movement may disturb the fractured bone.

A total of 64 patients aged 18 to 60 years were included and were assigned to one of two treatment groups. One group received intravenous tramadol, while the other group received an ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca compartment block, in which local anaesthetic was injected near the nerves supplying the hip and upper thigh. Pain was measured using a visual analogue scale when the patient arrived on the operating table and again during positioning in the lateral decubitus position before spinal anaesthesia.

The study was conducted to determine which treatment provided better pain relief and made positioning for spinal anaesthesia more comfortable. It was hypothesized that the ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca compartment block would reduce pain during positioning more effectively than intravenous tramadol.