With steroid use comes many sets of risks. These include legal, financial, and health issues. Most of the discussion on side effect of steroid use revolves around the long-term effects of usage, mainly disrupted HPTA function, hair loss, and Gynecomastia. What often isn’t discussed are the set of inherent risks that come from using needles to make injections. Many bodybuilders inject steroid oils into their body on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Users of growth hormone and insulin will make injections multiple times each day. That’s a whole lot of needles breaking the skin of the body. With each successive injection, the likelihood for a ‘bad shot’ increases. They happen to all users at one time or another, and while most of the time they just lead to a little bit of pain, some can lead to a bacterial infection. Knowing the difference between the two is very important.

Bacterial infections can cause significant damage to the body, and death if left untreated. Many bodybuilders allow their infected injection zones to reach this level because they cannot tell the difference between common injection pain, and an infection. The signs you see will be the same as pain. The area will be painful, without a doubt. There will be swelling and the area will feel very hot. There will be a great deal of redness in the area as well. Training the area will be tough, as the entire limb or region will feel a dull and constant pain emitting from the affected area.

If you begin to develop a fever or start feeling serious chills, then there is a good chance this injection is something more than just irritated, and that you have probably developed an infection. Infections cannot move, so the redness will remain in one spot. If the redness does find a way to spread, it’s a safe bet you have sepsis, or a spreading infection. This means you need to go to the emergency room immediately. Remember, this is not the time to panic. You always retain the option of going directly to the emergency room and seeing a doctor. He can run blood tests to help rule out life-threatening viruses, and will likely prescribe antibiotics. If it’s just pain, you’ll likely get a lecture on steroid use.

You can minimize the chances of bacteria harming you physically by maintaining a healthy immune system. By virtue of our skin and our daily interactions, we are exposed to dangerous bacteria all the time in our travels. However, our body usually possesses the mechanisms to neutralize these threats. It is only when our systems are compromised, or so large of a virus enters that we cannot combat it, that we become ill.

If you’re reading this, and you believe you may be suffering from a bacterial infection, it’s probably time to visit your doctor. This is a very common malady, as people from all walks of life, including diabetics, inject daily and often will develop infections as a result. Allowing the illness to go untreated, however, can lead to severe nerve damage, scarring, amputation, and yes, even death.

If you like this article, click here to share: