Randomization and blinding
pain
A total of 213 patients were randomly assigned to three equal groups using a computer-generated table of random numbers: Group R included patients who received RIB, Group S included patients who received SAPB, and Group C included the remaining patients who received no block procedure. The group allocation was concealed in sequentially numbered, sealed, and opaque envelopes. This study was double-blinded, as patients, data collectors, and those assessing the outcomes (a trained nurse who was not involved in the study), were blinded to the allocation until the end of the trial.Before the procedure, proper history-taking, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations were performed. All patients were also taught how to express their pain via the Visual analog scale (VAS), which ranges from 0 to 10, with the former for no pain and the latter for the worst pain ever[