My Arm Is Killing Me After Pneumonia Shot. Do I Have SIRVA?

You just got your pneumococcal vaccine, and it felt more painful than you thought it would. A few weeks or months later, your shoulder pain hasn’t gone away. Your arm is still killing you after the pneumonia shot. It’s even getting worse.

This isn’t something you have experienced before. Nothing like this has happened to you.

If this situation sounds familiar to you, you may have SIRVA, or shoulder injury related to vaccine administration. 

Thankfully, there may be some hope. There is a national program known as the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) that has been created for cases just like yours. It helps people who have been injured from a pneumonia vaccine get the compensation they need. 

If you’re interested in learning more and taking the first steps to start your own claim in the VICP, call our office now: (312) 578-9501. Our vaccine injury lawyers can help you navigate your SIRVA claim at no cost to you. 

Otherwise, if you’re not ready just yet, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about SIRVA from pneumonia vaccines.

How Long Does Shoulder Pain After a Pneumonia Shot Last? 

Usually, people experience shoulder pain and other symptoms from pneumonia shots for a week or two. According to the CDC, common side effects from the vaccine include chills, body aches or pains, and fever.

Persistent, deep shoulder pain that lasts longer than a few weeks is not a common side effect of the pneumococcal vaccine. 

This shoulder pain is often a sign that you have SIRVA. 

As mentioned, SIRVA stands for shoulder injury related to vaccine administration. It describes shoulder injuries that happen when a healthcare professional administered your pneumococcal vaccine either too high on the shoulder or too deep into it. This improperly administered vaccination can inflame the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the shoulder joint, causing significant damage.  

Common symptoms of SIRVA include:

• Shoulder pain within 48 hours of vaccination. It may feel sore at first, but as time goes on, the pain gets worse and worse. 
• Reduced range of motion. You may suddenly find it hard to do daily activities that you used to, such as getting dressed or brushing your hair. 
• Pain and tenderness on top of your shoulder. The affected area feels tender and hot to the touch.  
• Shoulder and/or arm weakness and stiffness. It can be hard to lift common objects, such as a gallon of milk. 

SIRVA is an umbrella term that explains a vaccine has caused your shoulder injury. However, it’s not an end-all-be-all diagnosis you will get from a doctor.

When you go to visit your doctor, you may be diagnosed with a common shoulder injury, such as a frozen shoulder, a rotator cuff injury, or even impingement syndrome.

How to Treat a Sore Arm After Pneumonia Vaccine Administration

We strongly recommend that you see a doctor if you believe you have SIRVA. When you first go visit the doctor, they will ask questions about your shoulder pain and perform a physical examination. They will more than likely order an MRI to better understand what is happening in your shoulder. 

At this point, you may be diagnosed with one of these injuries: frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injuries, shoulder bursitis, shoulder tendinitis, or shoulder impingement syndrome.

No matter what the doctor diagnoses you with, treatment for any SIRVA-related diagnosis is pretty standard. It consists of the following:

• Rest. Resting your shoulder prevents further injury and allows it to heal. 
• Pain medications. Your doctor will recommend that you start with some form of over-the-counter pain medication. However, if this doesn’t work, they may prescribe stronger pain medication. 
• Physical therapy. Almost every doctor recommends it, and for good reason. Physical therapy will help stop the loss of range of motion and weakness in your shoulder and arm. It will even help build back what’s been lost. 
• Steroid shots. Steroid injects help reduce pain and inflammation in your shoulder joint.
• Surgery. Only used for very severe cases, surgery may be recommended if nothing else works. 

Am I Eligible for Compensation for SIRVA from a Pneumococcal Vaccine?

Yes, you may be entitled to compensation for your SIRVA diagnosis from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

But first, you must meet certain criteria before filing a claim:

1. The program that we file claims through, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, offers compensation for only certain vaccines at this time. Due to this, only one of the two pneumococcal vaccines is covered and eligible through the VICP. This covered vaccine is the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar). The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (Pneumovax) is NOT covered.
2. You experienced symptoms within 48 hours of vaccination, AND your symptoms persisted for at least six months. 
3. You file your claim within 3 years of the date of vaccination. 

Diagnosed with a Shoulder Injury from a Pneumonia Shot? Our SIRVA Lawyers Can Help. 

Our team of vaccine injury attorneys at Shannon Law Group, P.C. can help you recover from a shoulder injury due to a pneumonia vaccine. We do this by filing a petition on your behalf in a unique program called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

This program was created for those like you who have been injured from a vaccine and want to recover financially and emotionally from a SIRVA case. 

If you’re interested in starting your journey to recovery, we are here to help you. We offer free consultations. Give our office a call today at (312) 578-9501. You can also fill out the form on this page, and someone will get back to you in 24 hours.