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Necessary Needles

8 Steps Parents Can Take to Minimize the Pain

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

With the technology age well underway, it should come as no surprise that there is advancement in the area of minor pain control. There is now a patch that uses a technology called "lidocaine iontophoresis" (lidocaine is the numbing agent; iontophoresis means to introduce to the skin by direct current) to numb the skin prior to a shot or IV. While this technology is still under development, many doctors use this or a similar technique on their younger patients.

"A tiny electric current pushes the pain medicine into the skin," says Dr. Zempsky. "This procedure takes about 10 minutes to numb the skin and then the shot can be given painlessly. This is far superior to currently available creams, which take 30 minutes to 60 minutes and don't numb the skin as well as lidocaine iontophoresis."

No one likes to see a child in fear or in pain. That's why with a little imagination, intervention, creativity and planning, you can help alleviate both the fear and the pain associated with trips to the doctor for medical procedures.

"Infants and young children remember and actively avoid needle pain," says Dr. Zempsky. "However, the fear of needles is a learned experience, which is usually gathered from a previous adverse experience or influenced by parents or older siblings. That is why the behavioral approach to pain is so essential. If parents and caregivers work together, the unpleasantness of these procedures can be minimized, making future procedures much easier."