When a person falls ill, doctors may prescribe a course of intramuscular injections. With their implementation, unlike intravenous, almost anyone can cope, 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 the so-called depot is created here: the same concentration of the solution is maintained for a long time. In muscle fibers, the blood supply is especially well developed. Due to this, the drugs are quickly and completely absorbed.
Butt muscles are quite thick. This allows you to make injections without the risk of damaging the periosteum. In this area, the neurovascular bundles run quite deep. 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.
Choosing a seat
There are many types of injections: subcutaneous, intravenous and intramuscular. The latter are the most common, because they can be done by non-physicians. However, before you put an injection, you need to choose the right place. Traditionally, injections are made in the outer region of the buttock, which is located on top. In order not to be mistaken, 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.
You can define the insertion area in more detail: from the iliac crest (noticeable protrusion) should be counted down 5-8 centimeters. This will be the safest injection area.
Syringe and needle selection
Talking about how to properly inject in the buttock, one cannot fail to mention the required equipment. For intramuscular injections, syringes of different sizes are used. The most popular are 2 and 5 ml. It is not recommended to inject more than 10 ml of the drug into the muscle, as this may make absorption more difficult.
The optimal needle length for such injections is 4-6 cm. Excessively deep injection can damage nerves and blood vessels. At the same time, needles that are too short should not be used, because of which the medicine is most likely not to reach the muscle, but remains under the skin. This will cause the development of the inflammatory process.
What else do 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? It is best to do this in the supine position. Due to the fact that the muscles relax, there will be less discomfort. At the same time, if you give an injection while standing, there is a risk of breaking the needle with a sharp movement or muscle contraction.
Preparation algorithm
- Thorough handwashing.
- Disinfection of a drug ampoule with alcohol.
- Thorough shaking the preparation.
- Filing and removing the tip of the ampoule (can be broken with strong pressure along the marked line).
- Intake the drug into the syringe and remove excess air (you need to point the needle up and gently push the plunger until the medicine starts to drip).
Execution technique
You need to know how to give an injection at home so as to prevent infection of the wound. The injection site must be thoroughly disinfected with cotton wool (or a 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 only relevant for adults. If an injection is given to a child, then the injection site, on the contrary, is pulled together into a small fold.
The hand with the syringe should be taken a short distance and the needle 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 all the way.
The medicine must be administered gradually, with slow pressure on the syringe plunger. This will avoid additional pain. After the drug is completely injected, it is necessary to clamp the injection site with cotton soaked in alcohol. The needle is withdrawn with a quick 90-degree movement. The wound is clamped with cotton wool to stop bleeding and prevent infection. You need to hold the tampon 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 medication.
Self-Introduction
How to put an injection in the buttock of an adult if no one can come to the rescue? You will have to act yourself. In this case, the buttock is mentally divided into four parts in the same way, and the injection is made in a similar safe area. Injections in the thigh are strongly discouraged. If you make any mistake, then the leg may hurt for a long time in the future.
Injecting yourself is quite difficult 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 missing when inserting the needle will decrease. It is best to draw a dot with iodine: it will be noticeable and safe in terms of disinfection.
Even knowing how to inject yourself intramuscularly, you shouldbe careful. You need to take a pre-selected comfortable position (lying on your stomach or standing). At the same time, 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. The puncture is the most painful part of the process, and so that the "hand does not tremble", the needle should be inserted with a decisive and sharp movement. However, you should not be too zealous, because it should penetrate into the muscle only three-quarters. The piston should be slowly pressed with the thumb. There is absolutely no need to rush, as this can lead to the formation of painful bumps. After the injection is completed, the injection site is clamped with cotton wool soaked in alcohol, and the needle is pulled out in one sharp movement. It is better to gently rub the buttock to speed up the absorption of the drug.
Safety rules
Before you put an injection in the buttock at home, you need to follow all the precautions. The injection site must be disinfected without fail to avoid infection. Home conditions, unlike stationary ones, are dangerous because there can be a lot of dust here. If dirt, which easily accumulates in any corner of the apartment, gets on the needle, then infection cannot be avoided. It is recommended to use imported syringes because they have thinner and sharper needles for easier insertion. It is strictly forbidden to use them again! Disposable syringes should be discarded after use. Before injecting, you needmake sure the integrity of the syringe package. If the tightness is broken, then it must be thrown away.
Most often, injections are given in whole courses. In this case, it is extremely important to alternate the buttocks: one day - to the right, the other - to the left. This will help to avoid severe discomfort and other possible consequences.
Pain in leg
This symptom is the most common side effect of intramuscular injection. In addition to pain and discomfort, numbness may also occur. These symptoms should not be a concern if they quickly subsided and disappeared. However, when the leg hurts or becomes numb for more than three to four hours, medical attention should be sought. This may indicate serious damage to the vessel or sciatic nerve.
Possible Complications
People who do not know how to inject correctly make various mistakes. After the introduction of drugs (especially for certain vitamins and antibiotics), injections can form a slowly and difficult to resolve infiltrate. Among the inhabitants, this phenomenon is called a bump. In order to prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to inject the medicine into the buttock as slowly and smoothly as possible. It is also important to avoid repeated injections into the same muscle.
To make the medicine dissolve faster, it is recommended to draw a grid of iodine on the buttocks. You can also use cabbage leaves. This is a folk remedy that speeds up the resorption of bumps.
Sciatic nerve palsy is the most serious complicationwhich can be caused by improper placement of an injection in the buttock. A very sharp pain along the back of the thigh will indicate a hit in it. In this case, stop insertion immediately and withdraw the needle.
Conclusion
The reader already knows how to give an injection, even without a special medical education. Obviously, there is nothing complicated about this, it is only important to prepare everything you need in advance and follow safety precautions. Moreover, many people note that self-administered injections are much less painful than delivered in a hospital.
However, it is necessary to carefully monitor how the drug is absorbed. If the injection site is reddened and very sore, and the body temperature is elevated, then this may indicate the presence of a post-injection abscess. Will have to seek help from a surgeon.
