How painful is a bone marrow puncture?

A bone marrow puncture can be very painful for some people. However, this pain is short lived and will not last longer. Usually, however, the pain of a bone marrow puncture is slight to non-existent.

Because the administration of a sedative and a tablet to relieve the pain, the perception of the pain is attenuated from the outset, the burden should not be too great. Mostly the administration of the local anaesthetic is described as slightly painful, as it is administered by means of a syringe into an unanaesthetized area of the skin. However, the injection is the step that causes the most pain.

Due to this anesthesia, the further steps in the procedure are not noticeable for the time being. This means that even a small skin incision that may be necessary is not noticed. The puncture of the bone with a needle or punch does not cause any pain either, since there are no pain receptors in the bone.

The strongest pain during bone marrow puncture can now occur when the bone marrow is aspirated. Since aspiration is performed several times, it may be more painful. After the puncture has been performed and a compression bandage is applied, the effect of the substances against the pain slowly diminishes.

This is why slight wound pain occurs in the course of the procedure. The duration of the pain caused by a puncture of the bone marrow is usually short. However, the pain may be somewhat longer in the postoperative period.

The application of the local anaesthetic is only painful for a very short time. The strongest pain caused by the aspiration of the bone marrow can last for several seconds. These occur several times due to repeated aspiration, but also subside quickly. Slight pain can also be caused by bleeding or post-bleeding. It should not last more than two weeks and should disappear when the bruise has healed.