Objective To describe the development of regional block research at home and abroad, and reveal the research hotspots and trends. Methods The literature concerning regional block were retrieved from CNKI and Web of Science (WoS) databases from the establishment to March 13, 2023, and the knowledge atlas was analyzed using CiteSpace 6.1.R6 software. Results A total of 39 230 articles were included. The overall volume of research papers on regional block showed a growing trend. The country with the highest number of publications was the United States, followed by China. The author with the largest volume of articles was Mariano Edward R. The author with the highest number of citations in the recent decade was Forero M. University Toronto was an important institution for regional block studies. Intraoperative and postoperative analgesia, herpes zoster, local anesthetics and anesthetic adjuvants, ultrasound guided regional block, the effect of regional block on hemodynamics, the mechanism of regional block, erector muscle plane block, regional anesthesia in patients receiving antithrombotic or thrombolytic therapy have become research hotspots and trends in recent years. Conclusions Regional block is attracting increasing attention of clinical physicians. In the future, new regional block techniques in anesthesia, analgesia, and diagnosis and treatment can be expanded.