Getting an injection or vaccine? Have it hurt less.

You have an injection coming up.

I don’t know very many people who get excited about being poked with a needle. There are usually some feelings of apprehension and at least a small amount of dread. For some people, it’s a large amount of dread. 

My working definition of fear is “the anticipation of pain.” That is very real for people who have had a bad experience with healthcare or with needles. So what can we DO?! Are there things we could do to make our own healthcare experience more pleasant? ABSOLUTELY. I’m glad you asked!

Most injections are given into a muscle and are called intramuscular (or IM) injections. Vaccines are given IM. If I’m afraid of needles, and I’m getting an injection, what happens? I’m going to instinctually tense up to brace for the impact with something sharp. 

That reflex is where a lot of the pain of the injection comes from. Imagine trying to stab into a rock rather than into sand - a lot more force is needed. After insertion, the muscle needs needs to be able to stretch and accommodate what is being injected. A tense muscle is going to try to squeeze your dose back out instead of absorbing it. If the muscle can’t expand, it’s going to burn when something is forced into it via injection. Practice this before you go to your provider’s office or phlebotomist. Relax your arm, on purpose. Try to have it hang from your shoulder as dead weight. It does take some practice, especially if you’re nervous. It feels counter-intuitive to do in the moment, so be practiced. This one action will make your injection hurt significantly less and your arm will spend less time feeling sore afterward.