Making Shots a Little Less Scary: How Vibration May Help Children and Adults During Injections

If you're a parent, you probably know the ordeal of taking your kids to the doctor when they know they're getting a shot.

You try to reassure them. You explain that the doctor is just trying to help them stay healthy. You promise that it will be over quickly, but the moment they hear the word shot, everything changes.

Suddenly, getting dressed and leaving the house becomes a challenge. The waiting room feels like an eternity. Finally, when the nurse walks in with a syringe, your child may be crying, clinging to you, or trying to find any possible way to avoid what comes next.

As a parent, it's hard to watch your child experience fear and pain, especially when you know the injection is important for their health. Vaccinations, flu shots, allergy shots, and other injections are a normal part of healthcare. But that doesn't mean we can't look for ways to make the experience more comfortable.

That's one reason I find the research on vibration and pain so interesting.

What if a simple sensory experience could help change how the nervous system processes the sensation of a needle?

What if we could use that same principle to help children (and adults) approach injections with a little more comfort and confidence?

Let's explore what the research says, how the science works, and how the Rezzimax Tuner may fit into the conversation.

Why Do Shots Hurt?

When a needle enters the skin, it activates specialized sensory nerve endings called nociceptors.

These nerve endings act as your body's first response system, alerting your nervous system to possible harm and danger. They respond to potentially damaging stimuli, including mechanical pressure and tissue injury. These receptors send electrical signals through the nervous system toward the spinal cord and brain, where the information is processed and experienced as pain.

That sounds simple, but pain is more complicated than simply receiving a signal from the body.

Our experience of pain can also be influenced by:

• Anxiety and anticipation
• Previous painful experiences
• Attention and distraction
• The surrounding environment
• Our expectations about what will happen
• Other sensory input

For children, these factors can make a routine injection feel especially overwhelming. A child who has experienced a painful shot in the past may begin feeling anxious long before the needle is even visible. That anticipation can feed into the distress during the procedure.

The same can be true for adults. Whether someone is receiving a flu shot, undergoing a series of allergy injections, or administering medication at home, the experience of anticipating a needle can be uncomfortable.

Understanding how pain is processed gives us an opportunity to explore different ways of managing it.

What Is Gate Control Theory of Pain?

One of the most widely discussed explanations for how sensory stimulation may influence pain is the gate control theory of pain.

Introduced by researchers Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall in 1965, this theory proposed that pain signals are not simply transmitted directly to the brain without modification. Instead, the nervous system has mechanisms that can influence how strongly pain-related signals are transmitted.

Think of it like a gate:

Key Elements of the Gate Control Theory Diagram

• $A\beta$ (A-beta) Fibers: Large-diameter, myelinated nerve fibers that transmit touch, pressure, and non-painful tactile sensations. Activation of these fibers stimulates the inhibitory interneuron, helping to "close the gate" to pain signals.
• C Fibers: Small-diameter, unmyelinated nerve fibers that carry slow, chronic pain signals. They inhibit the inhibitory interneuron, effectively "opening the gate" for pain transmission to reach the projection neuron.
• Inhibitory Interneuron: Acts as the gatekeeper in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. When activated, it suppresses the transmission of pain signals to the brain.
• Projection Neuron: Transmits incoming sensory signals up the spinal cord to the brain, where pain is consciously perceived.

Some sensory signals can influence the activity of nerve pathways in the spinal cord, helping regulate how much pain-related information travels toward the brain. This helps explain what many children experience at the doctor's office, and maybe some adults at the dentist as well. 

Have you ever bumped your elbow and instinctively rubbed it, or stubbed your toe and held it tightly? The sensation of rubbing or pressure may compete with or modulate the pain sensation. Vibration operates in a very similar way:

When sensory nerves receive vibration or other non-painful tactile input, that input may influence the processing of pain signals. The sensation of vibration can provide the nervous system with another stream of sensory information, potentially changing the overall experience of pain.

The important distinction: Gate control theory helps explain why vibration may influence pain. It does not mean that vibration completely blocks pain, works for everyone, or eliminates the physical sensation of a needle. The theory provides a scientific rationale for studying vibration as one possible tool for managing pain.

What Does Research Say About Vibration and Injection Pain?

Researchers have investigated whether applying vibration during needle procedures can help reduce pain and distress. The findings are encouraging in some areas, but they are not universally consistent.

A 2019 systematic review published in the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports examined 21 randomized controlled trials involving 1,727 children undergoing needle-related procedures.

The researchers found that vibratory stimulation was associated with reductions in children's self-reported and observer-rated pain. They also found a significant effect on anxiety.

However, the researchers noted limitations, including differences among the studies and the difficulty of blinding participants to vibration.

More recent research has also examined devices that combine vibration with cold. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis involving 16 randomized controlled trials and 1,486 children and adolescents reported reductions in pain and anxiety with a cold-vibration device.

How the Rezzimax Tuner May Fit Into the Injection Experience

The Rezzimax Tuner is a handheld vibratory device designed to provide rhythmic sensory stimulation. For families who already own a Tuner, using it during an injection may be an additional way to incorporate vibration into a familiar routine.

The idea is simple: rather than focusing entirely on the needle, the person receiving the injection can also experience vibration. This may provide an alternative sensory input during a moment that would otherwise be dominated by anticipation and the sensation of the injection.

For a child, that might mean holding a Tuner with a parent while receiving a flu shot. For an adult, it might mean using the Tuner during a scheduled self-injection. Needle-related anxiety is fairly common, and having an additional comfort strategy may be worth exploring.

Helping Children Through Vaccinations and Flu Shots

As a parent, I think one of the hardest parts of helping a child through a shot is knowing that their fear can begin well before the appointment. The anticipation can be just as difficult as the injection itself. Children may worry about the needle, the unfamiliar environment, or the possibility that the shot will hurt. That is why I appreciate approaches that give children something positive to focus on and allow them to participate in their own comfort.

Giving children a sense of control

One way to support a child is to let them make small choices.

For example:

• Would you like to sit on Mom's lap or in the chair?
• Would you like to hold the Tuner?
• Would you like to listen to music or watch a video?
• Would you like to take a few slow breaths together?

These choices can help children feel more involved rather than feeling that everything is happening to them. If a child is comfortable with vibration, a Rezzimax Tuner may be one of the sensory tools they choose to use. The experience will be different for every child. Some may enjoy the sensation, while others may find it distracting or uncomfortable. Whatever you do, let child decide whether vibration is something they want to try.

What are some of the different types of injections that are a part of everyday life?

Flu shots and routine vaccinations

Flu shots and other vaccinations are common examples of injections that can cause distress for children. A parent might bring the Tuner along to the appointment and ask the healthcare professional whether it is appropriate to use during the procedure. The child can become familiar with the device before the injection begins.

Allergy shots

For children receiving regular allergy immunotherapy injections, the repeated nature of the appointments can create additional challenges. A child may begin associating the clinic with an uncomfortable experience. Incorporating a preferred comfort strategy into the routine may help the child feel more prepared for the appointment. A Tuner could be considered as one part of that routine, alongside other approaches recommended by the healthcare provider.

What About Adults Receiving Injections?

Needle-related discomfort and trypanophobia (fear of needles) isn't limited to children. Adults receive injections for many of the same reasons as children, but there are also other medications becoming more common including:

GLP-1 and other weight-loss injections

Medications such as GLP-1 receptor agonists are commonly administered by subcutaneous injection. Some people may feel nervous about giving themselves an injection, especially when they are new to the medication. If someone already uses a Rezzimax Tuner, they may want to discuss incorporating vibration into their injection routine with their healthcare provider.

Making Injection Day a More Positive Experience

When it comes to children and injections, I believe the overall experience matters. We can acknowledge that shots may hurt while still helping children feel supported. If you'd like to try the Rezzimax Tuner during an injection, talk with the healthcare provider before the procedure. Your doctor may also recommend other pain-management strategies based on the child's age, medical history, and the type of injection.