How to give injections in the thigh correctly intramuscularly, to yourself, where to inject. Photo, video

To inject yourself into the thigh muscle tissue, you must have basic skills in using a syringe, needle and injection solution. It is recommended to resort to these therapeutic actions only in extreme cases, when there are no close people or medical workers nearby who can administer the drug intramuscularly.

Independent use of injection solutions requires compliance with safety rules, as well as a number of preparatory procedures that minimize the risk of complications.

Can I inject myself?

Injections into the muscle tissue of the outer thigh can be performed independently without the help of strangers. In order to administer the drug by injection to yourself, you should study in detail the provisions of the instructions that regulate the conduct of this kind of therapeutic measures.

Only if you have basic knowledge about the anatomical structure of the hip, the location of the lateral and deltoid muscles, and the possible risk of developing unwanted complications, can you begin independent treatment.

If you have the slightest doubt, a feeling of fear or an attack of panic that appears at the sight of a medical needle, it is recommended to refuse to inject the medication without the help of strangers.

Correct needle insertion site

The insertion of a syringe needle for the purpose of a therapeutic procedure can be carried out into the muscles of the buttock or the outer side of the thigh. These are the main areas of the human body that are best suited for intramuscular injections. In some cases, shoulder tissue may be used.

Where to give injections in the thigh

If there is a need to inject into the outer side of the thigh, then it is necessary to use that part of the lower limb that is located at a distance of 20-25 cm below the hip joint. This area of ​​the leg has sufficient muscle mass density, and the injection of a medicinal solution will be as convenient and safe as possible.

Safety regulations

To know how to properly give yourself injections in the thigh, you should consider some points:

• To reduce pain, it is necessary to change the injection area and body parts.
• Carefully check the syringe packaging for tears or expiration.
• Do not perform manipulation if there are abrasions, hematomas, skin diseases or large moles on the skin.
• If an allergic reaction occurs, stop administering the medication, take an antihistamine tablet, and monitor how you feel further. In cases of Quincke's edema, call an ambulance.
• Do not use the same syringe twice. After the injection, the needle should be placed in a cone and discarded.

What is required for the procedure?

It is necessary to give injections in the thigh to yourself only after carrying out high-quality hygiene of the surface of the hands.

To carry out this therapeutic procedure, you will need to have the following items available:

• a sterile disposable syringe with a capacity of 2, 5, 10 ml, complete with a standard medical needle intended for intramuscular administration;
• a bottle or ampoule with a liquid medicinal solution that is indicated for use for therapeutic purposes;
• detailed instructions for using the drug to be injected into the outer thigh (before giving the injection, you must re-read the section on the dosage regimen);
• a pack of sterile medical cotton wool or pre-prepared napkins, tampons, which are used for antiseptic treatment of the skin surface of the thigh;
• ethyl alcohol 96% concentration, intended for disinfection of the tissue area into which the medicinal solution will be injected;
• a pair of medical gloves, the packaging of which is opened immediately at the time of therapeutic manipulations.

A medical needle for performing an intramuscular injection must have a length of at least 3 cm. This will minimize the appearance of unpleasant sensations after its introduction into the muscle tissue, and will also ensure the deepest possible application of the drug.

The components of the injection solution will act much faster, which will significantly increase the likelihood of a positive therapeutic effect.

Using a syringe with a needle that is too short can lead to the injection of an injection solution into the area of ​​subcutaneous fatty tissue, which will subsequently cause local tissue inflammation, as well as the development of other undesirable complications.

Preparation for the procedure

Injections in the thigh should be given to yourself only after high-quality preparatory measures have been completed. This is a prerequisite for successful treatment without the help of medical personnel.

Preparation for self-administration of an injectable drug into the outer side of the thigh muscles involves the following steps:

1. You need to take a bar of laundry soap and thoroughly wash your hands using warm water. Dry your skin with a clean and dry towel.
2. Then you will need to open the package of medical gloves and put them on your hands, ensuring maximum sterility.
3. The ampoule with the drug is shaken to ensure uniform mixing of all components, and then its surface is wiped with cotton wool, which has been previously moistened in 96% concentration of ethyl alcohol. These actions are aimed at disinfecting the bottle of medication.
4. The tip of the ampoule with the injection solution must be carefully filed with an abrasive element, which should come with the drug, and then its glass top must be broken off.
5. Open the package with a disposable sterile syringe.
6. Place a medical needle on top of the syringe, remove the protective cap, and then insert it into the glass ampoule with the injection solution.
7. Pull the plunger of the syringe so that a sufficient amount of liquid medication enters its cavity. In this case, it is necessary to remember the dosage regimen of the drug, avoiding the use of too large doses.
8. Squeeze out the remaining air bubbles from the syringe that got into it during filling with the injection solution. These actions stop immediately as soon as the first drops of medication begin to flow from the needle hole.

At this stage, the specified organizational measures aimed at preparing for self-administration of the drug into the muscles of the outer thigh are considered completed.

To maintain maximum sterility, the injection is recommended to be given immediately. The disposable syringe is disposed of immediately after injecting the solution into the tissue of the lateral or deltoid muscle.

Injection, intramuscular injection in the leg, in the thigh to yourself: instructions

Before starting the procedure, you should prepare the necessary tools and materials , as well as wash your hands and more than once.

Proper hand washing

So, you will have to wash your hands thoroughly three times with antibacterial soap, the first time before setting out your tools. The second time is just before you give the injection. And the last time after the procedure.

You need to wash your limbs correctly and thoroughly, without leaving any dirt under the nail plates. In addition, you should do this in the following sequence: wash your hands with soap, then wash the faucet valve so that after repeating the hand washing process, bacteria from the dirty faucet do not settle on their surface.

For the injection process you will need a disposable towel and plate . You will then put your tools in this container. Before use, wash the vessel, wipe dry with a napkin and disinfect with alcohol or pharmaceutical chlorhexidine.

You will also need gloves . They protect against all kinds of infectious diseases. Of course, you won’t be able to give an injection without a syringe and needle. Moreover, the volume of the instrument must correspond to the amount of the administered drug. Sometimes additional needles are needed for the syringe. For example, when the dosage form is subject to dissolution. The bulk product in an ampoule with a rubber cap is diluted with a special solution using this syringe and an additional needle. After which another, new needle is used for the injection.

The process will also require sterile cotton wool and an antiseptic (either alcohol or alcohol wipes). And prepare a trash box . During the procedure, you will have to throw away used materials; it is better to throw them away in a specially equipped place so as not to disrupt the sterility of the auxiliary products.

How to insert a needle correctly for intramuscular injection?

For a successful procedure, select the injection site. It is advisable that the room is well lit and you take a comfortable position and relax. To be extra confident, the first time you perform the procedure, draw a cross at the injection site (the selection of the injection area will be described in detail below).

In short, the buttock should be divided into four parts, as in the image below, and this cross should be placed in the upper quadrant (outer), which will be the designation for the injection. You can paint with iodine. If the sterility for administering the medicine is broken somewhere at the injection site, do not be lazy to treat the skin with alcohol once again.

Choosing an injection site

Step-by-step injection process:

1. After all the preparatory work described above, treat your hands with an antiseptic solution. Prepare five alcohol wipes. Place them in a clean plate.
2. Prepare an ampoule with the drug, wash your hands again, put on sterile rubber gloves, and treat them with antiseptic.
3. Also treat the drug in the ampoule with an alcohol solution, then open this ampoule and carefully place it on a sterile container.
4. Prepare a syringe with a needle. Draw the medicine into it, point the needle up and release any remaining air from the syringe.
5. Wipe the injection area with an antiseptic, grab larger boundaries, and then use another alcohol wipe to treat a smaller area, more precisely the place where you will inject.
6. Now insert the syringe into the buttock at an angle of 90 degrees. Just insert so that a little of the needle remains on the outside (approximately one third of the needle).
7. Inject slowly but smoothly. In this case, the syringe and needle must not swing from side to side.
8. When the process of injecting the drug is completed, take a cotton swab with a disinfectant solution or place a napkin next to the needle.
9. Pull out the syringe with the needle and cover the injection site with an alcohol wipe.
10. Press the wound firmly and hold it there for a while. Finally, discard all unnecessary tools and wash your hands thoroughly.

IMPORTANT : There are painful injections. It is advisable to administer such solutions over a long period of time, then it will not be so painful. And even if a regular injection is given with cotton, it will be painful; the most comfortable time for the duration of administering the medicine is 1 milliliter in 10 seconds.

Basic safety rules when injecting yourself in the thigh

Injections in the thigh must be given to yourself with extreme caution so as not to damage large blood vessels and peripheral nerves.

A prerequisite for self-therapy with injection administration of drugs is compliance with the following safety rules:

• it is strictly forbidden to reuse a disposable syringe and needle, since such actions are fraught with infection of the tissues in the area of ​​the injection;

• if it is necessary to carry out long-term drug therapy using intramuscular injections, it is necessary to alternate the left and right sides of the thighs in order to eliminate the factor of the formation of extensive hematomas;
• You should not inject into the same point of the thigh tissue, as this will lead to the appearance of symptoms of acute pain and will also cause the development of inflammatory processes;
• use imported syringes, as they are distinguished by sharper and thinner needles that do not cause severe pain in the area of ​​their insertion, having minimal trauma to epithelial and muscle tissues;
• before intramuscular administration of the drug, it is always necessary to perform an antiseptic treatment of the skin surface to avoid complications;
• If minimal signs of an inflammatory process or the onset of subcutaneous bleeding or the formation of an extensive hematoma appear, you must immediately seek medical help.

It is important to remember that at the moment of self-injection into the outer thigh, the lower limb should be relaxed. For this purpose, the leg is placed on a flat surface, since excessive tension can provoke involuntary contraction of the muscle with damage to its tissue structure. A similar reaction occurs immediately at the moment of needle insertion.

Intramuscular injection into the thigh

When inserting a needle into the femoral muscle, into its middle third, the syringe is directed at an angle so as not to touch the periosteum with the needle. At this moment, the patient should sit/lie on his back, slightly bending the leg where the injection will be placed.

Determine the injection site in the following way. The right hand is placed approximately 2 centimeters down from the greater trochanter of the femur, and the left hand is placed the same distance upward from the patella. In this case, the thumbs will be at the same level, and in the gap between them and the index fingers there will be the desired point for the injection.

If the injection is given to debilitated adult patients or small children, then the skin, along with part of the muscle tissue, is folded by hand - for safe, precise administration of the medicine.

How to give an injection correctly?

The most common methods of administering drug therapy in the form of injection solutions are injections into the deltoid, gluteal and lateralis muscles.

During a long course of treatment, the use of these areas of the body can be alternated to avoid the development of an inflammatory process in the tissues of the muscular system. At the same time, it is always necessary to follow the rules for the safe administration of medications that are available in the form of medicinal solutions.

Injection into the deltoid muscle

The deltoid muscle covers the entire front and side of the shoulder and is also distinguished by its dense tissue structure.

In order to inject yourself into this area of ​​the body, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

1. Carry out all organizational activities dedicated to preparing for the injection of medication.
2. Soak a piece of sterile cotton wool or a previously prepared swab in 96% concentration of ethyl alcohol.
3. Perform an antiseptic treatment of the skin surface of the shoulder, wiping it thoroughly.
4. Visually divide the deltoid muscle into 4 even squares.
5. Bring the syringe with the exposed needle to the skin surface of the shoulder.
6. Using a smooth and precise movement, insert the medical needle of the syringe into the upper right segment of the deltoid muscle to a depth of 2 cm.
7. Slowly administer the injection solution contained in the cavity of the disposable syringe. Depending on the type of medication, a faster or slower injection of the medication may be required. In this case, you must carefully read the instructions for use of the drug.
8. After administering the injection solution, it is necessary to slowly remove the syringe needle from the deltoid muscle tissue.
9. Immediately cover the injection area with a clean piece of cotton wool, which has been previously moistened in 96% concentration of ethyl alcohol.
10. Hold the cotton wool for the next 10 minutes, and then dispose of it in the prescribed manner. If signs of bleeding of the tissues located at the injection site appear, it is necessary to re-moisten the cotton wool in ethyl alcohol and hold it on the surface of the wound for another 10-15 minutes.

After injection of the drug into the deltoid muscle, mild discomfort may persist in the tissues of the shoulder. The appearance of more severe symptoms in the form of acute pain that does not stop for several days requires additional examination by a general practitioner or surgeon.

During the injection, the hand into which the drug is injected should be in the most relaxed state. This will reduce the severity of pain.

Injection into the lateralis muscle

It is not difficult to give injections in the thigh to yourself, but performing this type of procedure requires composure, a steady hand and maximum concentration. In order for the injection of the drug to be carried out technically correctly, the following instructions must be observed:

1. Take a piece of sterile cotton wool, soak it in 96% concentration of ethyl alcohol, and then perform an antiseptic treatment on the outer surface of the thigh.
2. Visually divide the lateralis muscle into 4 identical segments located 20 cm below the hip joint.
3. Place the lower limb on a flat surface, completely relax its muscles, and place a cushion made of a towel or a piece of dense fabric under the knee joint. This will avoid reflex muscle contraction, which can occur immediately at the time of the injection.
4. Insert a medical needle from a disposable syringe into the lower right segment of the lateral muscle, immersing it into the body to a depth of 2 cm.
5. Slowly and without sudden movements, administer the injection solution until it is completely injected into the tissues of the lower limb.
6. Smoothly remove the needle from the outer side of the thigh, and wipe the injection site with sterile cotton wool soaked in a 96% alcohol solution. Then you should press the cotton wool against the wound to avoid increased bleeding of the damaged area of ​​the body.
7. Hold the cotton wool for the next 10-15 minutes.

During the injection, it is necessary to keep the syringe as level as possible. The needle should not be directed at an acute angle, as in this case the injection will be too painful and may cause undesirable complications.

After injection of the drug, you should refrain from sudden movements for 20 minutes. The leg should be on a flat surface without being subject to physical stress.

Intramuscular injection procedure

This is most often produced in the buttock.

• Before the injection

It is important to ensure that no microbes enter the body through the injection. To do this, prepare a separate clean dish or container in which you place cotton swabs and a disinfected syringe. Moisten a cotton swab with alcohol or alcohol tincture and wipe the injection site with it.

• During the injection

The injection must be given into a relaxed muscle, and therefore it is strongly recommended to place the patient on his stomach or side. Conditionally divide the buttock into four parts and inject into the upper outer square.

It is recommended for adults to stretch the skin at the injection site, and for children, on the contrary, to gather it into a fold. Retract your hand with the syringe, and then with a sharp movement, insert the needle 3/4 into the muscle. The needle should be immersed 3 cm into the body of an adult, and 2 cm into the body of a child; if the medicine is injected not into the muscle, but into the subcutaneous fat layer, this is fraught, firstly, with the futility of the procedure, and secondly, with the occurrence of compaction , cones. You need to inject the medicine slowly, then apply a cotton swab soaked in alcohol to the injection site and remove the needle with a sharp movement.

• After the injection

After a minute or two, give a light massage to the muscle. It is not recommended to inject in the same place more than twice a week. For a long course of injections, choose either the left or the right side of the buttocks for injections.

Possible complications

Technically incorrect execution of the injection, or failure to comply with the basic rules of preparation for intramuscular injection of an injection solution, can lead to the development of various kinds of negative consequences.

The table below lists the main types of complications that occur in patients who perform self-injections into the outer thigh or deltoid muscle of the body.

The occurrence of the above complications can be avoided if injections are performed technically correctly and safety rules are followed.

Why does my leg hurt after an injection and what should I do?

Pain that persists for more than 1 hour after intramuscular injection may be caused by injury to a blood vessel or peripheral nerve. In this case, you need to seek medical help from a surgeon.

To give yourself an intramuscular injection into the outer thigh or deltoid muscle of the shoulder girdle, you must have basic knowledge of the anatomical structure of the human body. In this case, you should follow the rules of the instructions for inserting a medical syringe needle into soft tissues, and carefully carry out all stages of preparation for this therapeutic procedure.

Failure to comply with antiseptic body treatment measures, reuse of disposable syringes, prolonged hypothermia of the body can provoke the development of complications in the form of local inflammation, the formation of a purulent abscess, and multiple lumps.