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Pain at the injection site
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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[ What causes pain at the injection site?
If there are no such signs, you can try to cope on your own. Most often, pain at the injection site is associated with the formation of an infiltrate - an area with increased density and increased volume. It is formed if the injection was made with a too short or blunt needle. Incorrect selection of the injection site or multiple injections into the same area, as well as failure to comply with disinfection standards can also cause infiltrates.
The reasons for pain after an injection are that the drug injected into the muscle did not penetrate quickly. This may happen because the needle was inserted too quickly or because the muscle spasms, resulting in a lump. If, in addition to the lump, a bruise also forms, it means that some blood got under the skin from a blood vessel damaged during the injection.
Pain at the injection site, not accompanied by hyperemia and increased skin temperature, often goes away on its own within a few days. To reduce discomfort, you can treat the sore spot with Traumeel ointment three to four times a day, gently rubbing it into the painful area. It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiexudative and regenerating effects. The ointment relieves swelling at the site of injury, relieving pain. You can apply a compress with a gel containing heparin (for example, Lyoton) or troxerutin and dimexide: lubricate the affected area with gel, apply a bandage on top, moistened with a solution of dimexide diluted in water.
If adverse symptoms persist, consult a surgeon.
Pain at the injection site may be due to an allergic reaction to the drug administered for the first time. In such cases, a replacement of the drug is necessary.
Pain at the injection site, accompanied by numbness, may be the result of damage to the nerve ending. Persistent shooting and nagging pain may be a reason to consult a neurologist.
The most serious danger that pain at the injection site may pose is infection of the wound, which may occur due to failure to comply with antiseptic standards during the injection. If pain at the injection site is accompanied by swelling, hyperemia, increased skin temperature, or the appearance of suppuration, contact a surgeon immediately.
During intravenous manipulations, pain at the injection site may occur when frequent injections are made into the same vein, as well as when using syringes with blunt needles. As a result, thrombophlebitis occurs - the vein becomes inflamed and a thrombus forms in it. Associated symptoms in such cases are hyperemia of the skin and the formation of an infiltrate in the vein area. If an injection is inadvertently administered into a vein, a hematoma may also occur if the venous walls are punctured. In this case, the procedure is stopped, the vein should be clamped with an alcohol swab, and a warming compress should be applied to the affected area.
How to treat pain at the injection site?
A very good way to relieve pain at the injection site is to apply an iodine mesh to the area of the seal. The procedure is carried out several times a day using a cotton swab.
If there is pain at the injection site, you can apply a cabbage leaf to the affected area, having previously crushed it. Sometimes the cabbage leaf is smeared with honey. Honey cakes also have a good effect: a spoonful of honey should be mixed with a spoonful of butter and an egg yolk, add flour. The finished cake should be applied to the sore spot several times a day.
For greater effectiveness, you can apply cellophane on top. Vodka diluted with dimexide also helps soften the seals after the injection and eliminate pain.
To minimize the risk of pain after the injection, the injection should be given into a relaxed muscle, preferably in a lying position. It is imperative to use antiseptics to treat the area where the injection was given.
To prevent pain at the injection site, it is necessary to use a needle suitable for each specific injection, it is advisable to give intramuscular injections in a lying position, into a relaxed muscle. When giving intravenous injections, vein punctures should be avoided, as well as multiple injections into the same vein. It is also necessary to strictly adhere to the rules of antisepsis - before and after the procedure, wipe the injection site with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol.