Buffered lidocaine decreases the pain of digital anesthesia in the foot

Abstract

The pain associated with injections for inducing digital anesthesia can be decreased by adding sodium bicarbonate to plain lidocaine. A randomized, double-blind study has demonstrated that 24 out of 30 participants indicated on a visual analogue scale that buffered lidocaine is less painful than plain lidocaine. The pain decreased by 50% or more for almost half of the participants. Practitioners can easily buffer lidocaine in the office by adding a small volume of sodium bicarbonate to plain lidocaine.