Injections have to be safe for all. That’s why the buttock is commonly chosen for the administration of intramuscular injections. Compared to other routes, there is zero to little chance of getting your neurovascular structure injured.
Little means to say sciatic nerve could be at the risk of developing injury during buttock injection. The cause behind it is mainly iatrogenic. It occurred when the technician mistook to inject anywhere else – other than the upper and outer quadrant of the glute muscle.
So, is it alarming to develop pain after injection in buttocks? In short, if it is due to sciatic nerve injury, then Big YES!
The good thing is this pain wanes with time without any treatment in most cases. But, in some cases, it may cause buttock pain, paralysis to your lower limb, and so on. Read through the article to know whether you need to seek medical help or not.
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How do you stop buttock pain after the injection?
Your buttocks are a sensitive area composed of fat and gluteal muscle. So, they are quite prone to developing an injury. It is situated behind you; it often gets overlooked unless you have pain after injection in buttocks. For avoiding all sorts of butt pain risks, it would be best to see a primary health care provider. He will evaluate your case and give you medicine promptly.
Below you will get a broad view of all the pain after injection in buttocks treatment options available for this case.
Home remedies
After developing injection pain after 2 weeks, one can try home remedies with a reasonable prognosis rate. You can get rid of even sciatic pain with some simple care at home. A typical home remedies practice in case of this condition is applying ice packs. A scientific study claims that it will cool down inflammation and minimize pain. All sorts of discomfort will wane away within six weeks.
Drug treatment
However, your health care provider may suggest the following medication if you ask how to reduce pain after injection:
- Muscle relaxants i.g cyclobenzaprine
- Antidepressant medicine i.g tricyclic antidepressants, have pain-relieving properties
- Anti-seizure medications
Physical therapy
Physical therapy also helps with controlling post-injection inflammation and nerve pain after injection in buttocks. Doing aerobic exercises like walking and swimming will reduce the pressure on nerves and relieve pain after injection in buttocks. Thus you get relief from sciatica. You can hire a physical therapist to monitor the stretching and aerobic exercises and modify them accordingly.
Spinal injections
This provides quite satisfactory results to reduce the pain. Corticosteroids are mainly used. This group of drugs has anti-inflammatory effects, which work on the affected nerve root and suppress the pain, swelling, and conditions related to inflammation. However, it will provide a short-term effect. Also, you may feel a burning or stinging sensation due to the shot.
Alternative Treatments
Chiropractors, yoga, biofeedback, massage, or acupuncture are popular options for lump on buttocks after injection home remedies. The chiropractor’s adjustment promotes tissue repairing and also reduces pain. Acupuncture therapy can manage even chronic pain. So, it’s undoubtedly a great option to go with.
What causes pain after injection in the buttock?
Do you experience injection pain after a week? Have you noticed any swelling, itching, redness, along pain? Here is why all these things are happening.
Anatomically your buttock consists of highly integrated muscles, namely the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. They remain superficially; underneath these, there is piriformis, superior gamellus, and some other group of muscles. These muscles are supplied by an elaborate network of nerves which include the sciatic and gluteal nerves.
When the needle pierces those deep muscles, it causes trauma or death of the muscle fibers. As a part of healing, the muscle may get shrunk. Later, there will be fibrosis and calcification. This is a painful remodeling phenomenon that occurs naturally inside your body.
This could be the reason why you are facing this issue. Another probable cause could be inflammation. It occurs when the needle hits any blood vessel. That time you will notice redness, swelling, the rise of temperature, pain at the site where the injection is given. If it hits the nerve, especially the sciatic nerve, then the patient may develop sciatica.
In this case, the patient complains about feeling burning, electric, or stabbing like pain. There are other etiologies, but these are the most common cause of post-injection soreness in the buttock.
When should you concern about the pain after injection in buttocks?
Getting injected is the most unwanted yet unavoidable thing for many of us. Injections are commonly given to the masses for vaccinating purposes. However, It is widely used for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes.
Often injection shots are given by skilled technicians, so bad injections are pretty rare. Even if it goes wrong, it is not life-threatening at all. Most of the time, post-injection pain is minor, and there is nothing to worry about.
But, it gives you discomfort, which hampers daily life. Well, your buttock region is supplied by a sciatic nerve. There is a minimal chance that this nerve gets injured during the shot. And as a consequence, you develop sciatica. This needs medical intervention.
It would be best to see a doctor if you have the following symptoms:
- Moderate to severe pain in the lower back, buttock, and leg.
- Feeling numbness in the back, buttock, lower legs.
- Feeling pin or needle pricking pain in the legs, toes, or feet.
- Pain gets intense with movements.
- Loss control over your bladder and bowel.
Having these symptoms signals a red flag. You should seek immediate medical help. Otherwise, you can follow the tips given below to get rid of post-injection pain.
FAQ on pain after injection in buttocks
Can injection cause buttock pain?
The Buttock region consists of some superficial and deep muscle groups. These muscle groups have got sciatic and gluteal nerve innervation. During injecting, the sciatic nerve is more prone to get injured. And sciatic nerve injury is a devastating condition as it may numb all the muscle below the knee. The patient also goes through unbearable pain.
How do you get rid of post-injection pain in the buttock?
Many treatment options are available to reduce the pain. But, before applying any of the following, you must ask your doctor. Below you will get to see those options:
- Post injection pain ice or heat compress
- Over the counter medication i.g muscle relaxants
- Physical therapy
- Spinal injections
- Biofeedback, yoga, and so on.
How long does post-injection pain last?
Post-injection pain is a common incident. It happens when inflammation flares up at the site of the shot. In most cases, it goes away within 48 hours. For some individuals, it may last for two weeks.
Conclusion
Pain after injection in buttocks usually goes away within two days to a week. But, if this goes beyond our threshold, then it doesn’t matter when you get the shot or how much time passes.
You should immediately knock your healthcare provider. Also, you can go with the treatment described above options to aid mild pain. Hopefully, you get rid of this agony soon with those tactics as all of them have a strong science-backed.
