The correct method of insulin injection can minimize the discomfort during injection and enable insulin to have the best therapeutic effect. However, there are many patients who delay the efficacy of treatment due to inaccurate injections. Therefore, the correct choice of injection site is a part of the success of insulin treatment.
1. Site selection 1. abdomen: Generally, insulin injected in the abdomen is absorbed quickly and at a constant rate, but insulin should be avoided within 3-5 cm around the navel, which is the distance of a hand, and this site is suitable for short-acting insulin or premixed insulin.
2. Upper arm and thigh: The posterior lateral aspect of the upper arm and the posterior lateral aspect of the thigh are the second and third common insulin injection sites, respectively, and these two areas are rich in fat. Generally, injection on the deltoid muscle covering the shoulder joint and the multi-bone area above the knee joint should be avoided, as there is not much fat in these areas, and injection on the inner thigh should not be done, as the friction here will stimulate the injection site. In addition, if you want to participate in exercise, you should avoid injecting on the upper arms and thighs to avoid accelerating the absorption of insulin due to moving the limbs, which may lead to hypoglycemia after exercise. This area is suitable for medium-acting insulin.
3. Hip Injecting at this site, the absorption is slow. Thin adults and children often use this as an injection site because of the relatively high amount of fat here. If you have the habit of going to bed early, you should inject in the buttocks to facilitate insulin action throughout the night.
Rotate injection sites regularly Inject the same site at the same time every day. For example, if the site recommended by your doctor for injection every morning is the abdomen, you should always choose the abdomen for injection and not change to other sites at will, but rotate the injection sites around every week. For example, you can have your buttocks injected on the left side one week and the right side one week. Each injection site should be at least 1 cm away from the last injection site, and avoid using the same injection site repeatedly within 1 month.