FOR THE NEEDLE-NERVOUS

Posted by Neill Abayon

Here's a tip for easing the pain of an injrction. Press your thumb where the shot will be given until you feel resistance and hold it for ten seconds.
Researchers found that 48 patients who received the pressure treatment before a shot felt less pain than others who didn't.
In the study, nurses who gave the shots also provided the pre-injection pressure. but researcher Roberta Erickson, associate professor of nursing at Oregon Health Sciences University School of Nursing, says that self-administered pressure would likely do as well. The technique works for the same reason that rubbing your elbow helps if you've hit it: gently inhibit smaller pain fibers in the same area triggered by a sharp stimulus.