A Guide to Local Anesthesia for Minor Injuries

Local anesthesia is used to numb a specific area of the body during minor surgical procedures. There are several types of local anesthesia that can be used for minor injuries in the UK. Here are some of the most common types:

1. Lidocaine: Lidocaine is a common local anesthetic that is used to numb the skin and surrounding tissues. It is often used for minor surgical procedures such as skin biopsies and suturing of wounds. Lidocaine is available in different forms such as creams, gels, and sprays.

2. Bupivacaine: Bupivacaine is a long-acting local anesthetic that is often used for more invasive procedures such as joint injections and nerve blocks. It is available in different forms such as injections and patches.

3. Ropivacaine: Ropivacaine is another long-acting local anesthetic that is often used for more invasive procedures such as epidural anesthesia and nerve blocks. It is available in different forms such as injections and patches.

4. Procaine: Procaine is a short-acting local anesthetic that is often used for minor surgical procedures such as dental work. It is available in different forms such as injections and sprays.

5. Articaine: Articaine is a local anesthetic that is often used in dentistry due to its rapid onset and short duration of action. It is available in different forms such as injections and sprays.

Each type of local anesthesia has its own unique properties and side effects. For example:

• Lidocaine can cause skin irritation, redness, and swelling at the site of injection.
• Bupivacaine can cause dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
• Ropivacaine can cause headache, back pain, and muscle weakness.
• Procaine can cause allergic reactions, dizziness, and confusion.
• Articaine can cause numbness of the tongue or lips.

Patients should discuss their options with their healthcare provider to determine which type of local anesthesia is best for their specific needs.

Practitioner Development UK’s 3-day RCN Accredited Minor Injury Essentials course offers practitioners the chance to learn more about treating minor injuries, including the use and application of local anaesthesia and wound care.  

The course aims/objectives include:

• Apply history-taking essentials thereby promoting safe practice.
• Link and apply anatomy of upper and lower body musculoskeletal (MSK) structures to a variety of physical assessment techniques.
• Discuss appropriate management of common traumatic MSK presentations including principles of analgesia and supportive therapy.
• Be able to examine and manage various types of wounds. To include closure techniques and patient education.
• Develop competency in some common basic minor clinical procedures.

Health care providers who wish to just focus on acute wounds can access our 1-day Acute wound management for urgent & primary care practitioners course.

The course aims/objectives include:

• Understand the principles of analgesia.
• Have the foundation skills to build on for the application of digital nerve blocks.
• Feel more competent to manage digital fractures.
• Assess and manage a variety of conditions affecting nails.
• Be familiar with proper wound assessment, closure, and management.
• Have acquired the foundation skills for developing competency in performing some minor clinical procedures.