Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of local infiltration versus block 
anesthesia in inguinal hernia repair and their influence on post operative pain and time of return to normal activity. 
Methods: 49 unselected cases of inguinal hernia aged 21-67 years were operated upon. 21 cases received local infiltration anesthesia given by the surgeon and 28 other cases received block anesthesia given by anesthetist . The success rate of both methods was compared . Postoperative pain was also scored and compared during the first two weeks by four point verbal rank scale , at rest and during mobilization . In addition the time of return to normal activity for both groups were studied. 
Results: There was a significant difference in the success rate in favor of local infiltration anesthesia versus block 
anesthesia ( 95.23% vs 67.85%). Concerning post operative pain control, local infiltration anesthesia group showed better 
result but the difference was statistically insignificant. 
Conclusion: Local infiltration anesthesia is more reliable , easy to perform by the surgeon and less anesthesia volume is 
needed compared to block anesthesia although both methods showed a comparable results concerning post operative pain control and time of return to normal activity.