How to Talk to Your Doctor About SIRVA: Diagnosis and Treatment Plans

At a recent appointment with your primary care doctor, they asked if you’ve received your annual flu shot yet. You say no. When they ask if you’d like one at the end of your visit, you say yes. You get it every year to protect yourself from new seasonal flu strains.

But this time, you experience intense shoulder pain upon administration of the flu vaccine. You know something’s off, but you move on with your day, hoping it will go away.

It doesn’t.

Days of shoulder pain turn into weeks and months. You start experiencing other alarming symptoms as well. You’re losing strength and range of motion in your shoulder. 

Concerned, you start to search online to research your symptoms. Upon reading a few articles, you learn that the vaccine could have caused your shoulder pain, also known as a condition called SIRVA (shoulder injury related to vaccine administration).

You immediately make an appointment with your doctor, but you’re unsure what to do or even say. After all, you haven’t even heard of a vaccine causing a shoulder injury until now. What if your doctor hasn’t, either?

If this sounds familiar to you, our vaccine injury team at Shannon Law Group is here to help. In this article, we cover everything you need to know when it comes to visiting the doctor for a shoulder injury from vaccination. We’ll give you an overview of what to expect before, during, and after seeing your doctor, from SIRVA symptoms to treatment options. We’ve also included resources in case your doctor doesn’t believe your shoulder pain was caused by the vaccine.

There is compensation available for vaccine injuries through a federal program known as the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Contact us now for a free consultation and learn how we can help you recover at (312) 578-9501.

Keep reading for tips on how to talk to your doctor about SIRVA.

Talking to Your Doctor Following SIRVA Symptoms

SIRVA stands for shoulder injury related to vaccine administration. It happens when the person administering your vaccine places it in your arm either too high up on your shoulder or injects the needle too deep. This improper vaccination leads to inflammation in the surrounding tissues, muscles, and ligaments in the shoulder.  As a result, patients with SIRVA may experience serious shoulder injuries, including torn rotator cuffs or frozen shoulders. 

When someone has SIRVA, they will have shoulder pain within 48 hours following vaccination. In addition, they will lose range of motion in their arm and shoulder over time. Tasks like unloading the dishwasher or buckling their seatbelt become increasingly difficult. They could also experience a loss of strength. For example, they may have difficulty lifting their young child or a gallon of milk. 

If you’re experiencing these symptoms of SIRVA, we recommend speaking to your doctor as soon as possible. During the visit, your doctor will document the history of your shoulder injury. After that, they’ll perform a physical examination. They may also order an MRI to get a better picture of what’s going on. In some cases, you might be referred to an orthopedist that specializes in shoulder injuries. 

Getting a Shoulder Injury Diagnosis Following Vaccination

SIRVA isn’t an exact diagnosis. After you speak with your doctor, they will not necessarily tell you that you have SIRVA. Instead, they will diagnose you with a specific shoulder injury. These vaccine-related shoulder injuries include: 

• Frozen shoulder
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Shoulder bursitis
• Shoulder tendinitis
• Shoulder impingement syndrome

If you’re interested in learning more about these specific injuries, click on one of the SIRVA diagnoses above. 

My Doctor Doesn’t Believe a Vaccine Caused My Shoulder Injury. What Should I Do? 

Most people with SIRVA will interact with a physician or doctor who has never heard of SIRVA. These medical providers may be dismissive of the cause of your shoulder injury. 

You may feel frustrated if your doctor doesn’t believe you have SIRVA. 

There are a few things you can do :

#1: Show Them Peer-reviewed Studies on SIRVA Published by Medical Journals

There are several papers written by health professionals, as well as studies published in medical journals, listed on this page. We highly recommend taking articles and journals published by those in the medical field to your doctor. These studies will show them that SIRVA is a well-known and documented injury. 

Click on the link above to view a list of these peer-reviewed studies. We recommend printing them out and taking them to your doctor.

#2: Give Them a Copy of Our Book, Vaccine Injuries: Understanding the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

You can request a free digital copy of our book on vaccine injuries right here.

Our lead vaccine injury attorney Jon Svitak wrote this book to serve as a resource for vaccine injury victims, including people who have SIRVA. It also covers the history of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, as well as everything you and your doctor need to know about SIRVA. 

If you’d like a free copy mailed to you, text “VICP” to (312) 847-2428.

If your doctor still doesn’t believe you, you can get a second opinion from another doctor.

Regardless, your doctor doesn’t have to understand SIRVA in order for you to have a successful SIRVA claim in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. As long as the medical records show you experienced shoulder pain following vaccination, the VICP will recognize you have SIRVA.

SIRVA Treatment Plans Available for Patients

No matter which of the previously mentioned injuries you’ve been diagnosed with or if your doctor believes the vaccine caused your shoulder pain, the treatment for your injury will be all the same. 

The treatment for any shoulder injury, including those caused by vaccines, is standard across the board. The course of treatment is as follows: 

• Rest. Resting your shoulder helps prevent additional injury to the area. 
• Over-the-counter or prescription pain medication. Depending on the severity of your SIRVA injury, over-the-counter medications may be enough to manage your shoulder pain. In some instances, prescription painkillers may be necessary. In this case, your doctor can prescribe some.
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is the go-to recommendation for nearly every SIRVA case. Physical therapy can help maintain and improve your shoulder strength and range of motion.
• Steroid Shots. If  physical therapy isn’t helping, or the area is too swollen and painful, a doctor may recommend steroid shots to help ease the pain and swelling of the shoulder.
• Surgery. In very rare cases, surgery may be recommended for those with a very severe injury. Surgery isn’t common, and doctors recommend it as a last resort.

As always, make sure you consult with your doctor as soon as possible about your options in regard to your specific SIRVA case so that you can have the best possible outcome for your case as well as have a better understanding of how to treat your injury. 

Chronic Shoulder Pain After Vaccination? Our SIRVA Lawyers Can Help

At Shannon Law Group, our vaccine injury attorneys can help you recover emotionally and financially after experiencing a SIRVA injury. We do this by helping file a petition on your behalf through a unique program called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). 

In order to be eligible for the VICP, there are a few criteria that must be met, including:

• You must have received a vaccine that is covered by the program (Here’s a list of the covered vaccines).
• You must file a petition within the statute of limitations, which is 3 years from the date of the onset of your symptoms. 
• You must have received SIRVA symptoms for at least six months.

If you check all of these boxes, you may be eligible for compensation from the VICP for: 

• Out-of-pocket medical bills
• Past and future lost wages 
• Pain and suffering (up to $250,000) 
• The cost of future medical treatment

The VICP also pays for your attorney’s fees and costs, so it doesn’t cost you a dime to hire a lawyer. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the VICP or want to take the next step in starting your SIRVA claim, our attorneys at Shannon Law Group are here to help you. Give us a call to speak with an attorney: (312) 578-9501. You can also fill out the form on the page, and someone will be in touch.