When a person becomes ill, doctors can prescribe him a course of intramuscular injection. Almost any person can cope with their implementation, unlike intravenous ones, even without an appropriate medical education. Therefore, basic knowledge of how to give an injection at home can be useful to everyone.
General information
Intramuscular injections are a common method of drug administration. This is due to the fact that a so-called depot is created here: the same concentration of the solution is maintained for a long time. In muscle fibers, blood supply is especially well developed. Due to this, drugs are quickly and completely absorbed.
The gluteal muscles are quite thick. This allows injections without risking damage to the periosteum. In this area, the neurovascular bundles lie quite deeply. That is why, if you know how to put an injection in the buttock, then the risk of any damage or injury will be minimal.
Seat selection
There are many types of injections: subcutaneous, vein and intramuscular. The latter are most common, because non-doctors can do them. However, before you give an injection, you need to choose the right place. Traditionally, injections are made into the outer region of the buttock, which is located on top. In order not to make a mistake, you need to mentally divide the entire area into four identical quadrants. The best choice for intramuscular injection will be the upper outer part on the right or left side.
It is possible to determine the area of administration in more detail: from the iliac crest (prominent protrusion) should be counted down 5-8 centimeters. This will be the safest area for injection.
Syringe and needle selection
Talking about how to correctly put an injection in the buttock, one cannot fail to mention the required inventory. For intramuscular injections, syringes of different volumes are used. The most common are 2 and 5 ml. It is not recommended to inject more than 10 ml of the drug into the muscle, as this can make it difficult to absorb.
The optimal length of the needle for such injections is 4-6 cm. Excessively deep injection can lead to damage to nerves and blood vessels. At the same time, too short needles cannot be used, due to which the medicine most likely will not reach the muscle, but will remain under the skin. This will cause the development of the inflammatory process.
What else will you need
In addition to the syringe and needle, you will need the following:
- Cotton balls (or discs).
- Alcohol-containing liquid.
- Medicine.
Proper preparation
How to give an injection painlessly? Doing this is best when lying down. Due to the fact that the muscles relax, there will be less discomfort. In this case, if you do an injection while standing, there is a risk of breaking the needle with a sudden movement or contraction of muscles.
Preparation algorithm
- Thorough hand washing.
- Disinfection of the ampoule with the medicine with alcohol.
- Shaking the drug thoroughly.
- Sawing up and removing the ampoule tip (can be broken with strong pressure along the indicated line).
- Take the drug into the syringe and remove excess air (you need to point the needle up and gently push the piston until the medicine starts to drip).
Execution technique
You need to know how to put an injection at home so as to prevent infection of the wound. The injection site must be thoroughly disinfected with cotton wool (or disc) soaked in alcohol. It is customary to take the syringe in the right hand, and the skin on the buttock is gently stretched with the left. This is true for adults only. If the injection is given to the child, then the injection site, on the contrary, is pulled together in a small fold.
The hand with the syringe should be withdrawn a short distance and the needle should be inserted at an angle of 90 degrees. You need to act decisively, without slowing down your movements. The needle should be inserted into the buttock three quarters, but not until the very end.
The medicine must be administered gradually, with slow pressure on the plunger of the syringe. This will avoid additional pain. After the drug is fully administered, it is necessary to pinch the injection site with cotton soaked in alcohol. The needle is pulled out in a quick motion at an angle of 90 degrees. The wound is clamped with cotton to stop bleeding and prevent infection. Hold the swab for several minutes. If the bleeding has stopped, then it can be removed. In the future, it is allowed to gently massage the muscle into which the injection was made. This will ensure faster absorption of the drug.
Self introduction
How to put an injection in the buttock for an adult if no one can help? You have to act yourself. In this case, the buttock is equally mentally divided into four parts, and the injection is done in a similar safe area. Putting injections in your thigh is strongly discouraged. If you make a mistake, then the leg can still hurt for a long time in the future.
It is quite difficult to give an injection to yourself because it is not very convenient. To facilitate the task, it is worth marking the place of the future injection with a dot. Due to this, the risk of overshooting with the introduction of the needle is reduced. It is best to draw a point with iodine: it will be noticeable and safe in terms of disinfection.
Even knowing how to give an injection intramuscularly to oneself, one should be careful. You need to take a pre-selected comfortable position (lying on your stomach or standing). It is extremely important to relax in order to reduce the severity of pain. After opening the syringe and taking the drug, it is necessary to treat the injection site with alcohol. A puncture is the most painful part of the process, and so that “the hand does not flinch”, the needle should be inserted with a decisive and sharp movement. However, one should not be too zealous, because it should penetrate the muscle only three quarters. Squeeze the piston slowly with your thumb. There is absolutely no need to rush, as this can lead to the formation of painful cones. After the injection is completed, the injection site is clamped with cotton moistened with alcohol, and the needle is pulled out in one sharp movement. It is better to gently rub the buttock to speed up the resorption of the drug.
Safety regulations
Before you put an injection in the buttock at home, you must follow all safety precautions. The injection site must be disinfected in order to avoid infection. Home conditions, unlike stationary, are dangerous because there can be a lot of dust. If the dirt that easily accumulates in any corner of the apartment gets on the needle, then infection can not be avoided. It is recommended to use imported syringes because they have thinner and sharper needles that facilitate insertion. Reuse them is strictly prohibited! Disposable syringes should be discarded after use. Before you make an injection, you need to make sure the integrity of the packaging of the syringe. If the tightness is broken, then it must be discarded.
Most often, injections are prescribed in whole courses. In this case, it is extremely important to alternate the buttocks: one day - on the right, the other - on the left. This will help to avoid severe discomfort and other possible consequences.
Leg pain
This symptom is the most common side effect of intramuscular injection. In addition to pain and discomfort, numbness can also be observed. These symptoms should not bother if they quickly weakened and disappeared. However, when the leg hurts or goes numb for more than three to four hours, you should seek medical help. This may indicate serious damage to the vessel or sciatic nerve.
Possible complications
People who do not know how to give an injection correctly make various mistakes. After the introduction of drugs (especially some vitamins and antibiotics) from the injection, a slowly and difficultly absorbable infiltrate may form. Among the inhabitants, this phenomenon is called a lump. In order to prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to slowly and smoothly inject the medicine into the buttock. It is also important to prevent constant injections into the same muscle.
So that the medicine resolves faster, it is recommended to draw a grid of iodine on the buttocks. You can use cabbage leaf. This is a folk remedy that accelerates the resorption of cones.
Sciatic nerve palsy is the most serious complication that can be caused by improper placement of an injection in the buttock. A very sharp pain along the back of the thigh will testify to getting into it. In this case, stop administering immediately and pull out the needle.
Conclusion
The reader already knows how to give an injection, even without a special medical education. Obviously, there is nothing complicated in this, it is only important to prepare everything in advance and observe safety precautions. Moreover, many people note that self-administered injections are far less painful than those delivered in a hospital.
However, it is necessary to carefully monitor how the resorption of the drug occurs. If the injection site is reddened and severely painful, and the body temperature is elevated, then this may indicate the presence of a post-injection abscess. Have to seek help from a surgeon.