I recently had a great conversation with a couple nurses in regards to injection techniques. I think there are some popular myths and misconceptions that are floating around to a great degree and I'll honestly admit to have been a believer of them.
First off, without getting into too much detail, I have a family member with a disease that requires me to administer a weekly intramuscular injection. Before getting started with the protocol, a couple nurses came to our house to talk to us about how to administer, etc. The injections would take place on their thighs only (this is by choice, but could also do shoulder). The needles used can range from 23G-25G and 1"-1.5". We're currently using the 25G, 1" for this protocol.
Here are my observations and I would greatly appreciate if someone IN THE MEDICAL FIELD can reply with how they perceive this to be. Of course I encourage everyone to reply but I'm obviously very interested in what other practices are being educated on these days.
#1) You do not need to aspirate the needle before pushing in the solution. I specifically questioned this and they said the previous school of thought was to do so, but now it is only performed when an IV injection is given.
#2) Having a few bubbles in the solution is no big deal. The preloaded syringes that we use actually come with a rather large air bubble which is supposed to help push the solution through.
#3) The more quickly you insert the needle, the less pain will generally accompany the administration. The slower you go, the worse it is for muscle tissues with an increased probability of irritation.
#4) Administering an IM injection directly on top of the quad is perfectly fine and actually one of their preferred sites. Same rules apply where you take your hand extended from hip and one from knee to find the 'sweet spot'.
#5) Ensure alcohol from swab in completely dry before administering to avoid irritation. I admit that I'm sometimes a bit impatient and either inject without it drying or waive my hand to dry (which the nurses said should also be avoided since you're potentially spreading aerial germs to the site).
Hopefully I remembered everything; if not I'll edit and add. Please let me know your thoughts since I can't tell you the number of times I've read on bodybuilding forums that would state to do otherwise (per the aforementioned). Taking #4 into consideration would be a big win for me since I prefer injections into the quads myself, and adding two more easy to get to sites would just help to reduce overall potential of scar tissue. I've seen diagrams that mention it, but I never hear anyone talking about actually putting it to practice.
First off, without getting into too much detail, I have a family member with a disease that requires me to administer a weekly intramuscular injection. Before getting started with the protocol, a couple nurses came to our house to talk to us about how to administer, etc. The injections would take place on their thighs only (this is by choice, but could also do shoulder). The needles used can range from 23G-25G and 1"-1.5". We're currently using the 25G, 1" for this protocol.
Here are my observations and I would greatly appreciate if someone IN THE MEDICAL FIELD can reply with how they perceive this to be. Of course I encourage everyone to reply but I'm obviously very interested in what other practices are being educated on these days.
#1) You do not need to aspirate the needle before pushing in the solution. I specifically questioned this and they said the previous school of thought was to do so, but now it is only performed when an IV injection is given.
#2) Having a few bubbles in the solution is no big deal. The preloaded syringes that we use actually come with a rather large air bubble which is supposed to help push the solution through.
#3) The more quickly you insert the needle, the less pain will generally accompany the administration. The slower you go, the worse it is for muscle tissues with an increased probability of irritation.
#4) Administering an IM injection directly on top of the quad is perfectly fine and actually one of their preferred sites. Same rules apply where you take your hand extended from hip and one from knee to find the 'sweet spot'.
#5) Ensure alcohol from swab in completely dry before administering to avoid irritation. I admit that I'm sometimes a bit impatient and either inject without it drying or waive my hand to dry (which the nurses said should also be avoided since you're potentially spreading aerial germs to the site).
Hopefully I remembered everything; if not I'll edit and add. Please let me know your thoughts since I can't tell you the number of times I've read on bodybuilding forums that would state to do otherwise (per the aforementioned). Taking #4 into consideration would be a big win for me since I prefer injections into the quads myself, and adding two more easy to get to sites would just help to reduce overall potential of scar tissue. I've seen diagrams that mention it, but I never hear anyone talking about actually putting it to practice.