Editing Intramuscular injection (section)

===Special populations===
Some populations require a different injection site, needle length, or technique. In very young or weak elderly patients, a normal-length needle may be too long to inject properly. In these patients, a shorter needle is indicated to avoid injecting too deeply.<ref name="Needles">{{cite journal |last1=Beirne |first1=Paul V |last2=Hennessy |first2=Sarah |last3=Cadogan |first3=Sharon L |last4=Shiely |first4=Frances |last5=Fitzgerald |first5=Tony |last6=MacLeod |first6=Fiona |title=Needle size for vaccination procedures in children and adolescents |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |date=9 August 2018 |volume=2018 |issue=8 |pages=CD010720 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD010720.pub3|pmid=30091147 |pmc=6513245 }}</ref> It is also recommended to consider using the anterolateral thigh as an injection site in infants under one year old.<ref name=Needles />

To help infants and children cooperate with injection administration, the [[Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices]] in the United States recommends using distractions, giving something sweet, and rocking the baby side to side. In people who are overweight, a 1.5-inch needle may be used to ensure the injection is given below the [[subcutaneous tissue|subcutaneous]] layer of skin, while a {{frac|5|8}}-inch needle may be used for people who weigh under {{convert|60|kg|lb}}. In any case, the skin does not need to be pinched up before injecting when the appropriate length needle is used.<ref name="ACIP">{{cite web |title=ACIP Vaccine Administration Guidelines for Immunization {{!}} Recommendations {{!}} CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/administration.html |website=www.cdc.gov |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control]] |access-date=12 September 2020 |language=en-us |date=21 June 2019}}</ref>