Why are we shot in the arm?It’s all about muscle

Millions of people rolled up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine, but why didn’t they roll up their pants legs instead? Why do we get most shots in our arms?

As Associate Professor of Nursing With background public health, And as a mother of two curious children, I answer this question quite often. So here is the science behind why we get most vaccines in our arms.

Notable Most, but not all, vaccines Given to muscles — this is known as Intramuscular injection..Some vaccines like Rotavirus vaccine, Is administered orally.Others are given just below the skin or under the skin-think Measles, mumps, rubella vaccine.. But many others are given by muscle.

But why is muscle so important and location important?And why is it called arm muscle- Deltoid muscle – On the top of your shoulders?

There are immune cells in the muscle

Muscle is an excellent site for vaccination. Muscle tissue Contains important Immune cells..These immune cells antigenA small fragment of a virus or bacterium introduced by a vaccine that stimulates, Immune response..in the case of COVID19 vaccine, Manage the blueprint for producing antigens, rather than introducing them. Immune cells in muscle tissue pick up these antigens and Lymph node.. Injecting the vaccine into muscle tissue keeps the vaccine localized and allows immune cells to function by alerting other immune cells.

When the vaccine is recognized by immune cells in the muscle, these cells carry the antigen to the lymph vessels, which carry the immune cells that carry the antigen to the lymph vessels. Lymph node..Lymph nodes, an important component of our immune system, are rich in immune cells that recognize and initiate antigens in vaccines. Immune process to make antibodies..

Lymph node clusters are located in the area close to the site of vaccination. For example, the deltoid muscle is close to the lymph nodes just below the armpit, so many vaccines are injected into the deltoid muscle. Vaccination of the thighs eliminates the need for lymph vessels to travel far to reach clusters of lymph nodes in the inguinal region.

Muscles continue to localize actions

Muscle tissue also tends to maintain a local vaccine response. When you inject the vaccine into the deltoid muscle, Local inflammation Or pain at the injection site. When a particular vaccine is injected into adipose tissue Increases the likelihood of irritation and inflammatory reactions This is because adipose tissue has an inadequate blood supply and poor absorption of some vaccine components.

Vaccines including the use of Adjuvant-Or components that boost the immune response to the antigen-should be given to the muscles to avoid widespread irritation and inflammation. Adjuvant Act in different ways to stimulate a stronger immune response.

Yet another determinant of Vaccine administration location Is the size of muscle.. Adults and children over the age of 3 tend to vaccinate the deltoid upper arm. Younger children are vaccinated in the middle of their thighs because their arm muscles are small and underdeveloped.

Another consideration during vaccination is convenience and patient acceptability. Can you imagine taking off your pants at a mass vaccination clinic? Rolling up the sleeves is much easier and more preferable. Outbreaks of infectious diseases during the flu season and epidemics such as COVID-19 require our public health system to vaccinate as many people as possible in a short period of time. For these reasons, arm shots are preferred simply because the upper arm is easily accessible.

Everything is considered when it comes to influenza vaccination and COVID-19 vaccineFor most adults and children, the arm is the preferred vaccination route.

This article will be republished from conversation Under a Creative Commons license.Read Original work..