Spraying lidocaine to numb your feet before wearing high heels

May 27, 2023

Wellness

Lidocaine spray can be bought online and already, it is touted as a hack on TikTok for women to wear their party heels. Should you try it? What do doctors think?

(Photo: iStock/Ildar Abulkhanov)

Wouldn’t it be a dream to put on your three-inch heels for a special evening out and not feel pain in your feet? No hot spot at the back of the heel that signals the emergence of an annoying blister. No burning sensation at the ball of the foot or where it arches. Not even your existing bunions are crying for relief.

Some women on TikTok have apparently been using this hack: Spraying their feet with numbing lidocaine before slipping on their favourite heels. “You’ll be in your shoes all night!” posted @bestofbrittanyy after liberally spraying her peds with lidocaine and putting on a pair of strappy heels in her video.

TikToker @bondenavant is another fan. “My feet went instantly numb”, she posted in a video, which she titled “where has this been all my life”.

HOW DOES THE SPRAY WORK?

Indeed, where has this seemingly miraculous foot spray been all your life? And more curiously, does it really work or is it just TikTok hype?

"Lidocaine spray is used as a local anaesthetic for the temporary relief of pain or discomfort. It is typically used during medical examinations of the nose, throat or stomach using an endoscopy or during dental treatments," said Dr Andrew Fang, a family physician with Doctor Anywhere.

"In Singapore, the spray may not require a prescription and is sold at retail pharmacy stores after a brief consultation on its use."

Georgina Callaghan-Tay, East Coast Podiatry’s senior podiatrist, added that the spray can also be readily bought online.

WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY?

So, has the TikTok trend caught on in Singapore? All the experts that CNA Lifestyle spoke to have not encountered patients who have used this hack to prolong their heel-wearing.

And they’re not keen for you to start doing so either.

"When used as directed, lidocaine spray is generally safe for short-term use as it does not get absorbed into the bloodstream in high amounts," said Dr Fang. Similarly, its risk of drug interactions with other medications is also low, said Straits Podiatry’s chief podiatrist Jackie Tey.

However, like any medication, the numbing spray can cause side effects such as skin irritation, allergic reactions, and even complications of the brain and heart functions in those with pre-existing issues, said Dr Fang. And if you have a known allergy to anaesthetic medicines, it’s best to avoid using lidocaine without first seeking advice from a medical professional, said Tey.

Furthermore, "numbing your feet stops your body from providing pain feedback. You may risk unnoticed cuts or wounds, which may lead to nasty infections", according to Saw Yu Ting, a chief podiatrist at Straits Podiatry.

Callaghan-Tay also warned against using lidocaine – especially if you are diabetic and have diabetic neuropathy. Patients with this condition already have numbness or limited sensation in their feet due to their damaged nerves, she said, which can make it difficult for them to sense blisters or a pebble in the shoe.

And foot injuries in diabetics are not good news as the low blood flow in their feet can make it difficult for their wounds to heal. By spraying on lidocaine, they’ll be further limiting their feet’s ability to sense injuries and end up delaying treatment.

In addition, lidocaine’s numbing and tingling effects may "impair the individual’s gait and balance, potentially leading to an increased risk of falls", said Dr Fang.

The repercussions continue after the numbing effect of lidocaine wears off. Using it for prolonged periods to numb your feet "can result in nerve damage, structural abnormalities and infections", said Dr Fang, while Callaghan-Tay warned about the potential “pain in your knees and back” as well as "the serious biomechanical issues in your posture and gait".

WHAT ABOUT USING LIDOCAINE OCCASIONALLY LIKE FOR A WEDDING DINNER?

Why put up with the pain in the first place for the sake of vanity? “If you suffer from pain when wearing high heels, you should avoid wearing them and have your feet checked for any underlying issues,” said Saw. “Some individuals have underlying foot problems, such as bunions or flat feet, which make wearing high heels very uncomfortable.”

As for trying other over-the-counter products that could potentially be used to numb your feet, such as benzocaine cream and topical anaesthetic patches, Callaghan-Tay advised to give them a wide berth. “For the same reasons stated above, most medical professionals would not recommend using these products just so that you can numb your feet.”

Don’t think about oral painkillers either. “One should not take medications unnecessarily,” said Benedict Khoo, principal podiatrist from Straits Podiatry. “All drugs taken orally would require your body to break them down and excrete them. Taking drugs unnecessarily and stressing your body is never a wise move.”