Fig. 3

Postoperative pain at rest at 6 h, 12 h and at 24 h. The meta-analysis evaluating the effect of erector spinae plane block on pain scores at 6 h (a), at 12 h (b), and at 24 h (c) compared to control was estimated as a random effect. The point estimate for the overall effect on postoperative pain scores at 6 h following surgery was − 1.31 (95% CI: − 2.40 to − 0.23), P < 0.02, (0–10 numerical scale). The point estimate for the overall effect on postoperative pain at 12 h following surgery was − 0.46 (95% CI: − 1.01 to 0.09), P = 0.10. The point estimate for the overall effect on postoperative pain scores at 24 h following surgery was − 0.28 (95% CI: − 0.75 to 0.18), P = 0.23. The weighted mean difference for individual studies is represented by the square symbol on Forrest plot, with 95% CI of the difference shown as a solid line