How long does local anesthetia usually last after having acl reconstruction?

Not long: The medication put in the soft tissue around your knee on the medicine in your knee should where off with in 12 hrs or so. It should not last longer that 24 hrs.

Several hours: Most of my patients get a femoral nerve block for their acl reconstruction. They usually last 8-12 hours. I have had patients say that it only lasted a couple hours and a few say that it lasted more than a day.

Several hours.: Most patients are awake almost immediately after anesthesia. However, the effects of local anesthetics can last several hours. Often patients have no memory of being in recovery room, and this is the lingering effects of the anesthesia. This situation is compounded by the pain medications/narcotics that you will have after the surgery.