The pain from the injections

Almost every person living in a modern developed civilization knows from personal experience what pain from injections is. It is no secret that an injection is a painful manipulation. But sometimes, such painful sensations not only remain for a long time after the procedure itself, but can also intensify and occur in fairly large areas of the body around the injection site.

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Why does pain occur after injections?

Pain from injections occurs due to the following reasons:

• Abscess (this is the name given to a purulent inflammatory process in soft tissues, which results in the formation of a cavity filled with pus). Abscesses occur due to insufficient adherence to sterility rules when performing an injection.
• An allergic reaction to the injection itself can also cause long-term and particularly acute painful sensations. In addition, other indicators also indicate an allergic reaction: urticaria, acute conjunctivitis, acute rhinitis, Quincke's edema, anaphylactic shock. A person can suffer from allergic reactions to the introduction of various drugs in the form of an injection. All the symptoms described most often appear within half an hour after the injection.
• Hematoma during intravenous injection. If the puncture during intravenous injection is done incorrectly, and both venous walls are punctured, blood gets into the tissue and this causes a clearly visible dark purple spot to form under the skin. This is a hematoma. If it occurs, it is necessary to press the injured area using cotton wool with alcohol, and after a while, apply a slightly warming compress. Then venipuncture should be performed on the other hand until the hematoma site has completely healed.
• Infiltrate is a complication that occurs as a result of an injection and is the most common cause of pain from injections. Infiltrate can be caused by an injection for which a blunt needle was used, or if a short needle, which is intended for subcutaneous or intradermal injections, is used for an intramuscular injection. In addition, frequent injections into the same place or an incorrectly chosen place can also cause severe pain and the appearance of an infiltrate.
• Drug embolism. This complex term belongs to an equally complex condition that can end fatally for a person. Oddly enough, an injection can also cause it. Namely, if a nurse injects oil solutions intramuscularly or subcutaneously and the needle hits a vessel. In the event of such an error, oil gets into the artery, which clogs it. The result is necrosis of the surrounding tissues due to a disruption in their nutrition. If the pain from the injection does not subside, but on the contrary only intensifies, there is noticeable redness or blueness with a purple tint and an increase in general and local body temperature, then necrosis can be suspected. In the worst cases, once in the vein, the oil quickly ends up in the pulmonary vessels along with the blood flow. As a result, pulmonary embolism occurs, which will be indicated by a strong cough, attacks of suffocation, a feeling of increased pressure in the chest, cyanosis (the upper half of the body turns blue).
• Tissue necrosis can occur due to several reasons. Among them are a large amount of irritant injected under the skin by mistake and an unsuccessful intravenous injection. This happens when both venous walls are punctured during the injection, or the needle does not puncture either wall of the vein at all. If the drug has entered the subcutaneous space, it is necessary to take measures very quickly to localize its location.
• Damage to nerve trunks also provokes pain from injections. This condition may be almost imperceptible to a person, but it can also pose a great threat to his health. It occurs under the influence of many factors: incorrect choice of injection site, blockage of the vessel that feeds the nerve, if the drug depot is in close proximity to the nerve. Such a complication can occur with both intravenous and intramuscular injections and sometimes leads to neuritis, and sometimes to complete paralysis of the limbs.
• Needle breakage. This incident used to often occur as a result of using old needles that had already worn out. Now, this factor of breakage is practically absent, since all injections are carried out with disposable needles and syringes. In addition, a sharp contraction of the buttock muscles during an intramuscular injection can also provoke a needle breakage. This can happen if the patient is not relaxed enough, there is no preliminary conversation with him, or the injection is done in a standing position.
• Thrombophlebitis can also be a complication of improper injections. If intravenous injections are often given in the same place or with a blunt needle, then the vein may become inflamed, and a thrombus may form in it. If an infiltrate has formed along the vein, the injection site is quite painful, and there is hyperemia of the skin, then there is every reason to suspect thrombophlebitis.

Who is to blame and what to do?

Of course, in all cases of complications that cause pain from injections, except for allergic reactions, incompetent hospital staff is to blame. Inexperienced or, simply, irresponsible nurses, unfortunately, are increasingly common. Accordingly, no one can protect themselves from falling into the wrong hands, literally.

But if you have already had an unpleasant experience of receiving painful and poor-quality injections, you have every right to complain to the head nurse, the attending physician or the head of the hospital department. Also, you can always ask another nurse to give you the injection you need.