Why Do Flu Shots Make Your Arm Sore? Treating Flu Vaccine Pain

Getting your annual flu vaccine may hurt and make your arm sore for a bit. That’s pretty normal. Your arm is initially sore after a flu vaccine as your immune system fights off the dead flu virus.

However, what if your arm pain has lasted more than a week?

In this situation, your arm pain may not be a mild side effect. Rather, you may have SIRVA or a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.

SIRVA happens when a vaccine is improperly administered, causing inflammation and damage to the shoulder joint. This inflammation can cause extreme shoulder pain that radiates down the arm.

If this sounds familiar to you, our vaccine injury attorneys at Shannon Law Group is here to help. In this article, we cover everything you need to know about your arm hurting after a flu vaccine. We also discuss when it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor.

Before we get started, there is compensation available for vaccine injuries like SIRVA 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 to learn more about arm soreness after vaccination.

How Long Does Your Arm Hurt After a Flu Vaccine?

According to the CDC, flu vaccine side effects, including a sore arm, are generally mild and go away within a few days. Patients may also experience redness and swelling at the injection site. 

Why does this happen? Essentially, your arm is sore because your immune system is doing its job.

When you receive a flu vaccine, a dead form of the flu strain enters your body. Your immune system responds to it and learns how to kill it should you come into contact with it again. The mild soreness in your arm is due to your immune system currently fighting the dead virus and learning how to protect you.

It’s important to note that if your arm still hurts weeks or months after a flu shot, it’s not from the virus in the shot. Rather, your shoulder pain is from an improperly administered flu vaccine. 

Lasting shoulder pain from a vaccine is a telltale sign of SIRVA. It can occur when the flu vaccine is administered too high or too deep in the shoulder. SIRVA isn’t a medical diagnosis, however. It’s a term that describes how your shoulder injury happened. 

If you’re worried may have a shoulder injury from a flu shot, here are the most common SIRVA symptoms to know: 

• Shoulder pain within 48 hours following the administration of the flu shot.
• Loss of strength and use of your injured shoulder and arm over time.
• Reduced range of motion of your injured shoulder.

How to Treat Sore Arm After Vaccination

If your arm is sore following a flu vaccination, you can take ibuprofen. You can also ice the injection site to bring the swelling down. 

But, if your arm pain lasts for weeks or months following a flu vaccination, we recommend seeing your doctor as soon as possible. 

When you visit your doctor, there are a few things that will happen during your appointment. First, he or she will ask you questions about your current shoulder injury, as well as any prior shoulder injuries. These questions will help them understand how your condition occurred.

When explaining your SIRVA symptoms, you can mention that your arm started hurting after receiving the vaccine. Afterward, they will perform a physical exam.

Your doctor may also recommend an MRI, which will create a detailed image of the inside of your shoulder. After interpreting an MRI scan, a radiologist will send a report of their findings to your doctor. Your doctor will then explain the test results to you and explore your next treatment options. 

We mentioned earlier that SIRVA is an umbrella term, not a diagnosis. It describes how your shoulder injury occurred. However, a shoulder injury caused by a flu shot and a shoulder condition caused by a work injury (for example) will look the same to your doctor. 

As such, you may be diagnosed with one of the following shoulder injuries:

• Frozen shoulder syndrome (adhesive capsulitis).
• Rotator cuff tear or injury.
• Shoulder bursitis.
• Shoulder tendinitis.
• Shoulder impingement syndrome (swimmer’s shoulder).

All of the shoulder injuries listed above are treated in a similar way.

How Do I Treat My SIRVA Injury?

SIRVA treatment options used to heal these injuries include: 

• Rest. Getting rest after any injury is one of the most important steps. It lets your body recover and start the healing process. 
• Over-the-counter or prescription pain medication. Over-the-counter pain relievers work to reduce shoulder pain. In some cases, you may have extreme pain your doctor may prescribe you a stronger medication.
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is one of the most popular forms of treatment for any SIRVA-related injury. It allows you to work on improving your strength and regain the range of motion you may have lost.
• Steroid injections. If your swelling is significant, or the previous treatment options weren’t working, a doctor may administer a course of steroid injections. This treatment helps alleviate the swelling in your shoulder tendons and muscles.
• Surgery. Surgery is a very rare option reserved for the most extreme cases of SIRVA.

Does SIRVA Go Away? Will I Recover?

SIRVA is usually not permanent. Symptoms of SIRVA typically get better with treatment. Some patients recover within a few months. Others may experience symptoms for years following an improperly administered vaccine. 

It’s always a good idea to see your doctor when you’re concerned that your shoulder pain is stemming from a flu vaccine. This way, you can start treatment and heal your shoulder injury. 

Experiencing Flu Shot Arm Pain Months Later? Our SIRVA Lawyers Can Help

Our vaccine injury attorneys at Shannon Law Group, P.C. can help you recover financially and emotionally after experiencing a shoulder injury from a flu shot. We do this by filing a petition on your behalf in a national program called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. 

If you have received a flu shot in the past 3 years and have experienced shoulder pain for at least 6 months, you may be entitled to the following compensation from the program:

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

If you’d like to find out if you qualify for vaccine injury compensation, contact us today for a free SIRVA claim consultation. Our attorneys at Shannon Law Group work with people suffering from vaccine injuries to help them get the compensation that they need to move forward with their life.

Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation now: (312) 578 9501. You can also fill out the form at the bottom of this page. A team member will get back to you within 24 hours.