ragnar35 wrote:Is it easy to miss? If you inject between 10 & 11 (not on top, and not all the way to the side) - and you press the needle all the way in - is it still easy to miss?
OK, I'm not a medical professional of any kind and I'm just sharing my personal experiences. Always consult your doctor and follow his/her advice.
I'd probably avoid 11:00. I find 9-10 and 2-3 best. The depth of needle insertion is dependent on needle length, your anatomy and where you inject. Pressing the needle all of the way in may work for some in some situations but isn't a guaranteed formula.
If using .5" needles I never insert the whole needle. If using the 5/16 needles I insert all of the needle and some. The exact depth will depend on injection location as I try to move around.
In addition to using the 9-10 / 2-3 location I've found plunger resistance to be the best indicator of proper needle depth. If you feel you're at the correct depth press gently on the plunger. If it goes in easily you're probably at the correct location. If you get more than gentle resistance you're probably not in the correct spot. With me, if I feel I should be in the correct spot but I'm getting a little more resistance than I think I should, I'll try withdrawing the plunger gently with one finger. If I withdraw it a smidge but when release my finger pulling back the plunger it rebounds to it's previous position, I'm unquestionably in the
wrong spot. I'll then try a little deeper or a little shallower until I find the depth with very little resistance when pressing the plunger and if I withdraw the plunger a smidge it doesn't rebound. Some guys like to aspirate and see a little blood in the syringe. I don't do that but I guess that's almost what I'm doing when I do the plunger withdraw test. 90% of the time I don't do the plunger withdraw test as the first test depressing the plunger resolves the question.