Why do doctors always give you shots on your arm?

Question

Why can't doctors give you shots in the leg? Why do they always give people shots in the arm?

Answer 1

Injections are usually given into muscle or fat so that the drug will disperse slowly into the blood stream. If it was injected into a vein the undiluted drug would go straight to the heart and is likely to cause major problems.

Answer 2

Doctors give shots in every place that is in need of treatment. They can give you shots on your leg or any part of the body that's in need of treatment. Usually they give you shots for vaccination or for anesthesia purposes. Or it is just because you are really sick. To skip to the main idea, the answer to this is simply because it hurts less on the arm.  

Answer 3

Depends on the amt. given, type of medication, and how deep you have to go.  1/2cc or less and does not have to be deep then the deltoid muscle of the upper arm is find.  Antibiotics, steroids and other meds that need to be injected deep are given in the outer gluteals of the buttocks.  If giving 2 or more cc's then you give 1/2 in one side and the other 1/2 in the other side.  This to prevent scar tissue or abcesses from forming.  

Answer 4

For injections of less than a cc and in persons with normal muscualatrure, the arm (actually the anterior deltoid muscle) is an easily accessible and more importantly safe site (easy to identify with no major nerves or blood vessels to worry about). If the injection is closer to 1 cc or more, then the next best choice is the gluteal region, since it is a large muscle and can absorb larger volumes of medicine with minimal discomfort. Also, it is a safe site although one must take precautions to identify the correct injection site in the upper outer quadrant of the muscle. The leg is probably the last choice for an intramsucular injection only because it requires the patient to partially disrobe and is somewhat more sensitive, thus there is often more discomfort using the quadriceps muscle in the leg.

Answer 5

they give you shots in your arm because the arm has a lot of veins

Answer 6

Phronsie is right on! As a nurse, I have never seen a doctor give a shot. Injections are a route of medication administration, so it depends on the medication and where it is best absorbed -- subcutaneous, intramuscular, interdermal, etc.

Answer 7

in general, the arm is more easily accessible than your thigh (which involves removing pants whereas with arms you just roll up your sleeves). typically, when medications need a "slow" absorption you'll get injected in the arm.

route of administration and injection site choice is also dependent on if the drug needs to get into blood circulation fast (you'll get an iv) or "slow"/act locally (non intravenous). but that's beyond the scope of your question.

Answer 8

The injection site depends on the medication and the patient. For example, some vaccines are given in the arm because the hip has too much fatty tissue and the vaccine is not absorbed effectively. For adults, the common injection sites are in the deltoid muscle(arm), the gluteus maximus (butt),the vastus lateralis(side of the hip), and the anterior thigh. And  babies do  get injections in the thigh.

You want to AVOID the blood vessels and the nerves.

Another small point: I doubt if many doctors give injections nowadays; it's mainly the nurse!

Answer 9

its either there or the booty!

Answer 10

they don't it depends on what place you have alot of veins but most people have them in their arms!!!