Injections into the buttock can be prescribed by a doctor, but circumstances are not always such that the patient has the opportunity to go to a medical facility. The prescription must be fulfilled for the patient himself, but not everyone knows how to properly give injections in the buttock at home and even experience some fear of this action. This is not strange, because if you do not have such a skill, you cannot hope for the success of the procedure.
Choosing a syringe
Before injecting into the buttock, it is important to understand what size the syringe should be, as well as what volume of medicine you will need.
To inject yourself into the buttock, doctors advise purchasing two-cube syringes with a thin needle , since it is easier to administer the drug with such a syringe.
If your doctor has given any special instructions, then it is recommended to choose accompanying instruments that comply with the doctor’s instructions.
How to prepare and how to give an injection in the buttock at home
Before injecting yourself into the buttock, you will need to lay out additional needles and selected syringes.
Other items are taken out of a sterile package, and the needle is covered with a plastic cap.
The ampoule is treated with an alcohol-based product and opened. The needle is lowered into the ampoule case, and the amount of product recommended by the doctor is drawn in. Air trapped inside is released.
How to give an injection in the buttock and what you need to know about it
Before injecting into the buttock, we thoroughly wash our hands and then apply an alcohol-containing liquid or antiseptic to them. This will have to be done before each injection .
If there is bleeding, you need to deepen the needle. If you see drops of blood appearing, then most likely the vessel has been damaged.
It is possible to give a painless injection in the buttock when everything is done in a few seconds. To save time, you need to keep tools and supplies at hand in a flat plate or on a tray.
Gloves should also be treated with alcohol or antiseptic.
If the ampoules come with rubber tips, then to collect the product, just pierce the tip with a needle. If you touch the needle before injecting a person in the buttock, it needs to be replaced.
How to inject yourself in the buttock, choosing the best position
It is possible to give an injection while standing in the buttock, or while lying down on a hard mattress on your side. Usually a person who already has relevant experience performs the procedure while standing.
If you have never done this procedure yourself before, then you should choose a lying position , sitting comfortably on a medium-hard bed.
In order to give yourself an injection in the buttock correctly, it would be a good idea to watch training videos that show how to give an injection in the butt while standing, or from a lying position.
Preparing for the injection
Administering medications through injections into the buttock involves some preparatory steps. Hygiene is a key requirement. That is why the main rule of preparing for an injection is thorough hand washing.
- You also need to prepare in advance everything that may be useful for performing the injection. You should take:
- sterile syringe;
- the drug itself;
- cotton wool;
- blade for opening ampoules;
- medical alcohol or special wipes.
On a note! To make the injection as painless as possible, it is worth preparing a thin and long needle.
It is recommended to evaluate how easily and conveniently the needle opens before performing the procedure. To do this, you just need to check the ease of removing the cap from the syringe.
On a note! It is equally important to make room not only for medicinal attributes, but also for the patient himself.
- It is also worth examining the ampoule that contains the drug. You should make sure that this is an ampoule with the right medicine and check its expiration date. You also need to shake the ampoule in advance by lightly tapping the top of the container. This will allow the entire composition to be “dropped” down. Before opening the medicine, the ampoule must be treated with a cotton swab dipped in medical alcohol. Only then can you file the container with a special device to make it easier to break the glass.
- Then you can start drawing the product into the syringe. To do this, it turns the needle upward. All accumulated air should be pushed out with a piston through the needle. A drop of medicine should appear at its tip.
- Another important point in preparing for the injection involves correct placement of the patient. If all the rules are followed, the injection is given to a person in a supine position. This pose is aimed at maximizing muscle relaxation. In addition, it helps to minimize all painful sensations. In addition, the lying position is the safest. After all, a standing position creates a high risk of needle fracture in the event of a sudden muscle contraction.
- It is equally important to palpate the skin of the buttock with your hands before the procedure for the presence of nodes or lumps. If everything is normal, then this place on the thigh is disinfected twice.
Pre-workout
Before learning how to give injections, additional training is simply necessary .
You will need a regular syringe and a piece of rubber. The syringe is filled with plain water.
On the rubber surface, select an area several centimeters wide. Then we insert the needle, holding the syringe directly to the rubber surface.
We pierce the rubber with a needle and slowly pour water through the syringe. Then the needle should be carefully removed, holding the needle rod with your finger.
Technique of the procedure
In order to administer the subcutaneous injection correctly, follow the following procedure:
- By the beginning of the event, your hands should be clean and disinfected, and the injected solution should be moderate - no more than 38 degrees, heated (you can hold the syringe body with the solution in your hands for some time).
- Locate and palpate the injection site. There should be no visible damage or palpable seals. Please remember that holding the event in the same area for the entire course or most of its procedures is highly discouraged.
- Treat this area of skin with 70% alcohol or another acceptable antiseptic applied to a piece of cotton wool or bandage.
- Take the syringe and, pointing the needle upward, release the air.
- With your free hand, gather the skin into a fold at the intended injection site, avoiding grabbing the muscle.
- Apply a quick, firm needle strike into the fold at a 90-degree angle to a depth of 2-3 needles. If the fold is too small (which often happens in thin people or athletes), then the blow is applied at an angle of 30–45 degrees, initially directing the needle with the cut upward.
- Gently release the fold, freeing your hand, and gently pull the plunger toward you to check for blood. With subcutaneous injection, the medication is not allowed to enter the circulatory system (!!!).
- Inject the solution slowly and evenly.
- With a smooth, confident movement, pull the needle out from under the skin.
- Treat the injection site with an antiseptic again.
- Start recycling consumables.
If you need to speed up the onset of action of the drug, you can apply a non-hot heating pad to the injection site through a soft, clean cloth for 10–15 minutes.
Following these simple recommendations will in the vast majority of cases protect you from possible complications.
Where is the correct place to give injections in the buttock?
An injection into the buttock during an intramuscular injection cannot be made in the middle of the thighs.
You can imagine an even cross on the surface of the buttock, divided into equal square zones.
Further, if it is the left buttock, then the injection can only be given in the upper left square, if it is the right, then in the upper right.
In the photo below you will see exactly where you can give injections.
Why does my leg hurt after an injection and what to do?
The most common complication of intramuscular injections is the appearance of pain and the formation of seals at the injection site. If your leg hurts or a lump has formed, then there is a possibility that the drug was injected not into the muscle, but into the adipose tissue. This is the most likely cause of such complications.
Often the thigh hurts after an injection in those people who cannot completely relax and tense the muscle at the moment the needle is inserted. But pain can also occur if all the rules for performing injections are followed in patients with a low pain threshold. After injections of certain drugs (Actovegin, Magnesia), pain is a normal reaction.
If you feel that your leg hurts or a lump appears at the injection site, it is important to monitor your well-being. If the thigh turns red, becomes hot, and severe swelling forms, this indicates the development of an inflammatory process. In such a situation, it is important to see a doctor.
To alleviate hip pain, you can apply an iodine grid at the injection site. It is recommended to draw it twice a day until the condition improves. You can apply a cabbage leaf to the sore spot. To reduce pain, it is also recommended to consume foods containing iodine. These include shrimp, seaweed, and sea fish.
What complications may arise
When an intramuscular injection into the thigh was performed incorrectly, the following unpleasant consequences may occur:
- Cones . Appear if the drug is not absorbed. If the lumps have not disappeared two months after the injection, you will need to contact your doctor.
- Bruises . Bruises appear when a vessel is hit during injection.
- Numbness . If the numbness of the buttocks does not go away, then you need to call a doctor.
- An abscess is the most dangerous type of complication, the treatment of which must be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
- Tissue seals.
- Inflammation . Inflammatory processes also need to be treated under medical supervision.
Risks of self-injection
The most common problem that people encounter when administering injections on their own is the formation of an infiltrate. To eliminate it as quickly as possible, you need to lubricate the area with heparin ointment, make magnesium compresses, and install a mesh with iodine.
If the injection site is chosen incorrectly, damage to the sciatic nerve or superior gluteal artery may occur. These cases require contacting a doctor for adequate help. If the dose is incorrectly calculated, if it is underestimated, the effect may not occur, and if it is overestimated, an allergic reaction may begin. In the second case, you should immediately call a doctor.
How to give an injection to a child in the buttock
It is almost as easy to give a correct injection in the buttock of a child as it is for an adult, sexually mature man or woman. During your actions, you need to distract the baby by showing him something interesting , telling him that giving the injection does not hurt at all.
Remember that it is better to give an injection in the buttocks of children so that the baby does not see all your manipulations.
First, lightly stroke the children's buttocks. You need to warm your hands first so as not to scare the baby. We wipe the skin with an alcohol-containing product and you can give an intramuscular injection into the child’s thigh. You need to lightly massage your baby's skin both before and after the procedure.
It may be easier for a woman to give several injections to herself or her family than to perform the procedure on her baby. Therefore, it is better to practice beforehand.
Making an injection into a vein
You can begin to insert a needle with medicine when you have already felt with complete confidence a vein suitable for an injection.
Under no circumstances should a medicine intended for intravenous use be injected into the muscles or subcutaneously; this can be fatal.
The needle should be inserted at an angle of 45 degrees. In this case, you need to stick it in such a way that the medication is administered in the direction of the blood flow, and the substance flows towards the heart in the same way as venous blood flows towards it.
If you feel unsure or have trouble inserting a needle, contact a qualified nurse or doctor for advice and questions.
A lump in the injection area indicates the absence of a needle inside the vein. In this case, the drug enters the fiber. The correct thing to do would be to remove the needle from the body and look for another, larger vein to inject.
After inserting the syringe, pull the plunger back slightly to make sure there is blood. If the blood does not flow into the syringe, then the needle did not go into a vein, you need to make an additional attempt.
When the blood is bright red and flows out under noticeable pressure, the needle is in the artery. It is necessary to remove the needle and squeeze the injection site properly to stop the bleeding. The dark red hue of the blood discharge indicates that the goal has been achieved and the needle is located in the vein.
Before administering the medication, remove the tourniquet and ask the patient to release his fist if it is clenched, as excessive pressure can sometimes cause the vein to rupture.
When subsequently injecting the drug into the blood, slowly press down on the piston until the drug is completely injected.
At the end of the procedure, remove the syringe and then apply pressure to the injection area. For a large number of people, intravenous injections result in some bleeding. You can reduce the risk of infection by placing a clean gauze pad over the injection area.
If the bleeding after the injection is too heavy and does not stop, call the ambulance service immediately.
The last step is to bandage the injection area with a piece of sterile gauze and secure it to the person’s arm with an adhesive plaster or bandage.
