SI causing muscle damage

[Sita505USA]

Hi there

I recently read that IM can cause muscle damage, is this true?

If so, any advice for preventing that?

I am doing SU every other day.

Sita

[JanD236]

I si weekly and do a strict rotation of IM si sites (left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, left glute, right glute) so I feel that after 6 weeks each muscle has recovered before I need to inject into it again.

I inject slowly and am very careful with hygiene (clean hands, alcohol wipes on the injection site). Fingers crossed but so far no sign of any problem in any of the muscles I use.

[Sita505USA in reply to JanD236]

Where and how do you SI in glutes?

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to Sita505USA]

Sita505UAS and JanD236 . Just a word of caution about injecting into the gluteal muscle (the bum 😉) - please take care with this because it needs to be done in exactly the right area (upper outer quadrant) and at precisely the right angle, to avoid hitting the sciatic nerve.

It’s also worth noting that in a study using CT scans to monitor, only 5% of injections into the buttocks resulted in injected material reaching the muscle - most went into the subcutaneous tissue due to incorrect positioning or incorrect needle length.

It's quite difficult to get this right when self-injecting (twisting around to inject your own btm is not the easiest manoeuvre) so I wouldn't advise this site for SI, especially for 'novice' self-injectors and certainly not unless you're absolutely sure that you're injecting in the right place 😉.

👍

[wedgewood in reply to JanD236]

;I’ve not heard that before . I have been self -injecting weekly for 3 years , and haven’t had a problem . I alternate thighs and use as fine a needle as possible .

[JanD236]

Sorry but I don’t know how to post a photo of the injection site but I’m sure you can find one online, videos too (as people inject steroids there).

You divide your buttock into 4 and inject the upper outer quadrant of the upper outer quadrant. Awkward to get at (I do it standing with my back to a mirror or lying on my side) but by far the least painful site to inject.

[pvanderaa]

Look on YouTube for videos about self injections.

I alternate glutes, every three days, no issues at all with this frequency for the last 10 years.

The location is in the upper and outer quadrant on each side.

My trick is to press and hold a coin (penny) on the injection for 10 seconds. This leaves a nice ring on the skin which is a target to aim for. It also gives me an idea about the muscle under the skin. Old injection sites can be hard.

I then clean the skin in and around the ring with alcohol swab.

I’ve prepared the syringe ahead of time.

I stand in front of a large mirror and slowly move the needle into the ring. Then I press gently. If I feel pain, then I reposition the needle a couple mm away still in the ring and try again.

I very sharp needle will go into the skin with very little pain. The pain means that a blood vessel is under the skin and it is harder to inject through veins.

[deniseinmilden]

Ashmeadskernel has reported a problem in the past but I have also seen posts from people doing daily SI for decades without problems and know diabetics who have done tens of thousands of injections OK.

I think thickening of the skin may be more of a problem eventually... But without the jabs it wouldn't be a problem coz you wouldn't live that long!!

Finer needles are better and I have found 26G ones much better than the 23G ones.

[deniseinmilden]

MALP posted about this a couple of years ago.