Pericapsular nerve group (PENG)

The Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) refers to a specific collective of sensory nerves that provide innervation to the anterior hip joint capsule, primarily including the articular branches of the femoral nerve, the obturator nerve, and the accessory obturator nerve (Girón-Arango et al., 2018). It is not a single molecule or receptor but rather an anatomical target for regional anesthesia used to provide analgesia for hip fractures and orthopedic surgeries (PubMed, PMID: 30141312). The PENG block involves the ultrasound-guided injection of local anesthetics into the fascial plane between the psoas tendon and the iliopubic ramus, where these nerves are concentrated (StatPearls, 2023). These drugs, such as bupivacaine or ropivacaine, interact with voltage-gated sodium channels on the axons within this group to prevent the conduction of pain signals (PMC6133182). Clinically, this target is highly valued because it offers significant sensory blockade of the hip while potentially sparing the motor function of the femoral nerve, facilitating early mobilization and reducing opioid dependency in postoperative settings.

Other names

PENG block targetHip capsule sensory nervesAnterior hip joint innervationArticular branches of the femoral and obturator nerves

Local anesthetics are injected into the fascial plane targeting the nerve group to block voltage-gated sodium channels on nerve axons, thereby inhibiting action potential propagation and pain signal transmission from the hip joint to the central nervous system.