Injection, although it may sound mysterious to some, is nothing more than a well-known injection. Often it causes concern not only among children, but also adults - especially if the injection is performed independently for the first time. And this situation occurs even though this procedure is well-studied, almost painless and safe. In some cases, patients who have wondered how to properly inject into the shoulder intramuscularly are able to cope with this process themselves. Easily performed by a doctor after training or a nurse at home.
Benefits and Complications
The question of how to inject into the shoulder intramuscularly is asked by many people, since this type of injection is the most common. It consists in the introduction of a solution of the drug into the muscles of the upper limbs; they are well supplied with blood, as well as the muscles of the gluteal or femoral. The injection is an alternative to oral medications and has several undeniable advantages. Firstly, in this case, absorption through the gastrointestinal tract is excluded, which protects its mucosa.shell from the aggressive effects of certain drugs, and also causes the specified solution to be absorbed into the blood much faster (even within 10-15 minutes) than it happens when tablets are taken orally.
The gluteal muscle injection is the most common form for injecting solutions because it is the least painful site at the time the needle is inserted. Another common insertion site is the thigh. Shoulder injection is performed less frequently due to the risk of muscle damage, and only when a small amount of medication is administered. Therefore, before injecting yourself intramuscularly, it is important to read the instructions. Due to the risk of complications such as infections, nerve damage or broken needles, injections must be performed with caution.
The procedure itself is painless and, as a rule, there are no serious complications after it. Rarely, an allergic reaction to the administered drug may occur. And this is the first thing to check before giving a subcutaneous injection in the shoulder. If the patient injects himself with a medicine for a long time, for example, insulin, the injection site should be changed daily. This prevents the formation of scarring, which, at a minimum, negatively affects the absorption of the substance.
Execution technique
To properly perform a subcutaneous injection, the patient grasps a skin fold and, with a determined movement, inserts the needle at a 90-degree angle. After completely emptying the contentsthe entire syringe, you need to wait a few seconds, carefully remove the needle, and then attach gauze to the injection site. It is extremely important to observe the rules of asepsis. It should be remembered about the disinfection of the skin: before proceeding with the procedure, it is important to treat the injection site in the shoulder with alcohol. It is also necessary to use disposable syringes, needles and sterile gauze.
Another important point in the technique of performing an injection in the shoulder is as follows: if the injection causes scarring or hypertrophy of the subcutaneous tissue, it is recommended that it be abandoned. Approximately every 2 weeks, you should change the side in which the injection is administered, for example, the right shoulder to the left.
Additional information
The injection can be given intramuscularly, subcutaneously or intravenously. It all depends on the type of drug being administered. Proper injection technique is very important, as each procedure may be associated with different complications.
Those who wondered how to inject into the shoulder should keep in mind that the drug is injected into the lateral part of the deltoid muscle. However, this site is associated with a much higher risk of complications associated with damage to the vessel or nerve. Therefore, people rarely resort to such an injection. Another possible injection site is the thigh. With this option, it is important that the lower limb is firmly fixed. One hand is placed on the area of the large femur, and the second - on the knee and fingers are directed towards you. The injection point is half the distance between the fingers on the side of the thigh.
Additional funds
Injections require disposable gloves, cotton swabs, a syringe, a needle about 70 mm long and 0.8–0.9 mm in diameter, and an antiseptic. Before giving an injection in the shoulder, it is important to make sure that all items are sterile. As a rule, two needles are required - one for drawing the drug, and the second for intramuscular injection.
Inject yourself
First of all, clean the injection site and inject perpendicular to the skin surface. If a catheter is used, it must be inserted deep enough so that the end of the needle touches the muscle. Before making an injection in the shoulder, you need to make sure that the needle does not touch the vessel, so as not to accidentally inject the drug into it. If by chance it enters a blood vessel and blood appears in the syringe, it is necessary to remove the needle, replace the needle and syringe, take a new portion of the drug. In case of correct input, it is necessary to fix the needle with one hand and slowly inject the medicine. The needle should be removed after complete injection of the drug in the same way, perpendicular to the skin. The injection site must be covered with gauze or cotton. She should be kept in this place for a while.
Step by step
So, the injection into the shoulder is performed according to the following steps.
- Wash hands and area to be injected.
- Prepare ampoules with the drug (syringe in combination with the installed needle), remove the packaging from the plastic part; swab, alcohol.
- Assume a sitting or reclining position.
- Wet the swab with alcohol.
- Wipe the selected area of skin with a swab of gauze soaked in alcohol.
- Wait for the disinfectant to dry (a few seconds), then remove the cap from the needle with a steady movement.
- Simply grasp the fold of the skin of the shoulder in the chosen place with one hand (forefinger and thumb).
- While the skin fold is held with one hand, the syringe is taken with the other.
- It is inserted at a right angle (90 degrees) into the skin fold.
- The whole needle is inserted into the skin with a decisive movement (it is very short, so there is no danger of damaging the internal organs).
- Inject the entire contents of the syringe while constantly holding a fold of skin with one hand. Wait a few seconds while holding the syringe and skin fold.
- Gently remove the needle and release the skin fold.
- Apply a tampon and hold for a while.
- Discard the syringe by putting it in the trash with the needle down in the needle case.
- Adjust clothes and rest in a sitting position for a while.
Notes
After you managed to give yourself an intramuscular injection, it is not recommended to massage the injection site, as this will lead to bruising. After each injection, a small bruise may appear, but you should not provoke its appearance once again.
The above advice is only a recommendation and can never replace a visit to a specialist. It is important to remember that in case of he alth problems, it is imperative to consult a doctor! Self-treatmentonly results in great harm to the human body.
Sometimes the injections themselves are painful, and this is also a normal situation. With experience, a person adapts to do them in the most optimal way, and also gets used to the discomfort that occurs when drugs are injected into the shoulder.
Contraindications
Conditions associated with impaired blood clotting are a contraindication for intravenous injections. We are talking about some muscle diseases. Absolute contraindications are, first of all, the lack of consent of the patient, swelling and inflammatory changes at the site of the planned injection, as well as concussion and circulatory disorders (the exception is the injection of adrenaline in case of anaphylactic shock).
Complications
If a person did not take care of antiseptic measures before giving an injection in the shoulder, dangerous consequences can await him. Failure to comply with the relevant rules threatens the occurrence of abscesses and infectious complications. Often there is pain at the injection site, it happens that after an injection a small hematoma appears in this area, nerve damage occurs, which leads to temporary reversible sensitivity disorders. A complication after incorrect insertion may be avascular necrosis of the bone. It is extremely rare that situations arise when the needle breaks during an injection. It should also be remembered that complications arise not so much from the injection procedure itself, but fromspecific adverse drug reactions, such as allergic reactions to drug ingredients.
