Shoulder Injuries from Vaccines | SIRVA
Shoulder Injuries, Vaccines, and SIRVA
Shoulder pain is a common side effect of receiving a vaccine, like the flu shot or tetanus shot. But in some cases, the pain lasts long after the injection. In those severe cases, known as Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA), vaccination can lead to intense, prolonged pain, limited range of motion, and other shoulder-related vaccine injuries.
What Causes SIRVA?
SIRVA is caused by an injury to the musculoskeletal structures of the shoulders (i.e.: tendons, ligaments, bursa) due to the injection of a vaccine. The most common cases of SIRVA occur in patients who received a seasonal flu shot because the vaccine is given in the deltoid muscle of the arm. Symptoms typically occur in the days and weeks after a patient has received a shot. It’s important to note that SIRVA is caused by the injection itself, and while the risk of a vaccine injury exists, it is rare.
Symptoms of SIRVA
As expected, severe shoulder pain is the most common symptom of SIRVA. It can begin as soon as two hours after getting a flu shot and last for several weeks. Most people complain of persistent, intense shoulder pain and limited range of motion, but those are not the only injuries. Shoulder tendonitis, shoulder bursitis and adhesive capsulitis have also been reported to occur after a vaccination.
Treatment of SIRVA
In most cases, symptoms can be treated with pain medication and physical therapy to alleviate inflammation and improve range of motion. While therapy can help, most patients continue to experience pain, even after treatment. In more severe cases, surgery may even be necessary to repair damage done to the shoulder’s ligaments and tendons.
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