Headache And Other Aches And Pains
After your shot, you might have headaches or some achiness and pain in the muscles throughout your body. This also usually happens on the first day and goes away within two days. Taking pain relievers can help ease your discomfort.
Its controversial whether its safe to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to treat these vaccine side effects.
Some research suggests that these medications might change or decrease how your body responds to the vaccine. One study involving children found that taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen didnt reduce the bodys response to the flu vaccine.
Other research is mixed. Its still unclear whether these medications should be avoided.
Managing Side Effects After Immunisation
Common side effects following immunisation are usually mild and temporary . Specific treatment is not usually required. There are several treatment options that can reduce the side effects of the vaccine including:
- Drinking extra fluids and not overdressing if there is a fever.
- Although routine use of paracetamol after vaccination is not recommended, if pain and fever are present, paracetamol can be given check the label for the correct dose or speak with your pharmacist .
Compensation For A Vaccine Shoulder Injury
Compensation for vaccine-related shoulder dysfunction includes: reimbursement of medical expenses applicable lost wages and pain and suffering.
If you or someone you know has suffered from tendonitis following a vaccination, you may be entitled to compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Contact our vaccine injury lawyers for a free consultation at 229-7704.
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Treatment For Shoulder Tendonitis From A Vaccine
In mild cases, a medical professional will perform a physical examination and often prescribe a course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the injured person is still suffering from a limited range of motion, a course of physical therapy will be recommended. Physical therapy will usually be prescribed two to three times per week for a course of around three months. If physical therapy is not beneficial, an orthopedic surgeon may recommend corticosteroid injections. These steroid injections, also known as Cortisone injection, have the ability to relieve inflammation in some instances. In severe cases, other treatment options include surgery. The damage to the shoulder capsule or subacromial bursa could be substantial enough to require removal of the bursa or repair of ruptured tendons.
How To Avoid A Sore Arm After Your Workplace Flu Shot
Up to 64% of adults and children who receive the flu shot experience pain and/or soreness at the site of the injection, making it the most common side effect of the vaccine. Many patients unpleasantly describe it as feeling like they were “getting punched in the arm,” and we understand that it can be a real discomfort for the one or two days it takes for the soreness to go away. Luckily, there are a few simple steps you can take to reduce or avoid this experience when you attend an on-site flu clinic this year!
We spoke to our Assistant Director of Nursing, Andrea Oster, for her tips and tricks for avoiding arm soreness post-shot:1.) Relax your arm when getting the shot. “It can be hard to do when you’re nervous, but do not tense up,” Andrea says. While you’re sitting, lay your hand flat on your upper leg and relax your shoulder, letting your arm hang until the nurse administers the shot.
2.) Take ibuprofen or Tylenol. A lot of the pain comes from inflammation. Taking a painkiller will do wonders in reducing swelling and assisting with the discomfort.
3.) Use your arm afterwards. “Don’t ‘baby’ it! Work out, write, type and continue your regular routines,” Andrea says. By keeping your arm in motion, you can help the circulation in the injection area return to normal more quickly. If you didn’t use your dominant arm, consider raising it up or moving it in circles to speed along the healing process.
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Reaction At The Injection Site
The most common side effect of the flu shot is a reaction at the injection site, which is typically on the upper arm. After the shot is given, you may have soreness, redness, warmth, and in some cases, slight swelling. These effects usually last less than two days.
To help reduce discomfort, try taking some ibuprofen before getting your shot.
Why Does It Happen
The symptoms of SIRVA stem from the shot going into the wrong part of your upper arm or due to trauma from the needle. Research suggests that this brings on inflammation, and it could injure body parts inside your shoulder like:
- Ligaments. These tough bands of tissue connect two bones in a joint.
- Tendons. These thick cords connect muscles to bones.
- Bursae. These fluid-filled sacs cushion bones, tendons, and muscles.
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Why A Little Bit Of Arm Pain Is Necessary Each Year
Even if you received a flu shot in a previous year, you should still protect yourself with a new vaccination this year. This is because the vaccine is developed based on the specific flu strains scientists expect to be the most dangerous this year. Doctors recommend getting vaccinated in fall, but it is never too late to get the flu shot. Getting it late is better than not at all.
How To Book Your Appointment
If you’re eligible for a free flu vaccine, you can book an appointment at your GP surgery or a pharmacy that offers it on the NHS.
You may also get an invitation to get the vaccine, but you do not have to wait for this before booking an appointment.
Everyone who is eligible for the free flu vaccine will be able to get it.
GP surgeries and pharmacies get the flu vaccine in batches. If you cannot get an appointment straight away, ask if you can book an appointment for when more vaccines are available.
If you have an appointment for a COVID-19 booster vaccine at a GP surgery or pharmacy, you may also be offered a flu vaccine at the same time.
Do not delay booking your flu vaccine appointment so that you can get both vaccines together. Only some people will be offered both vaccines at the same time.
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Ways To Reduce The Pain Of Your Flu Shot
First, recognise that there might be some soreness, and plan for it. Get the shot in your left shoulder if youre right handed, for example. If youre often sore after a flu shot, consider not scheduling the shot right before arm day in the gym.
Next, ask your provider if its ok to take a pain reliever like ibuprofen before or after the shot. Sometimes that helps.
Relax your muscle before the needle goes in. Injections tend to hurt more if a muscle is tensed.
Finally, move your arm around after the shot. This may help because it moves the injected liquid around your arm a bit, so that when that inflammatory reaction occurs, its not as concentrated in one place. Also, its important to recognise that its just soreness, not a serious injury, and you can move around and use your shoulder. Dont baby it. Whether a few arm circles after the shot could actually reduce late-night pain, we arent sure, but in general the muscle soreness tends to feel better with movement.
Getting The Help You Need After A Vaccine Injury
While a flu shot may cause paralysis, leading to high medical bills, you may be able to get the financial compensation that helps mitigate the healthcare costs you need to save your life and rebuild your health. The Vaccine Injury Compensation & Payouts Program is a streamlined federal program to aid those who have been harmed by the very vaccinations that are supposed to protect us. While the process is clear, an experienced Philadelphia injury attorney can help you file your claim and give you the best chance of getting the approval you need for a payout.
Our vaccine injury lawyers are ready to talk to you, and the initial consultation is free of charge. Your attorney will talk to you about your specific situation, your options moving forward, and if the VICP program is right for your case. Each step of the way theyll help you understand your rights, then fight for them as your claim works its way through the system. If youve suffered from paralysis after the flu shot, contact Anapol Weiss and start rebuilding your life today.
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Where To Get The Flu Vaccine
You can have the NHS flu vaccine at:
- your GP surgery
- a pharmacy offering the service
- your midwifery service if you’re pregnant
- a hospital appointment
If you do not have your flu vaccine at your GP surgery, you do not have to tell the surgery. This will be done for you.
It’s important to go to your vaccination appointments unless you have symptoms of COVID-19.
Q: How Can The Flu And Its Complications Be Prevented
A: The flu and the common complications of this infection can be prevented with a high degree of success when a person receives the current flu vaccine. A new vaccine is made each year so that the vaccine contains the 3 most common circulating influenza strains that are expected to cause illness that year. For maximum effect, doctors highly recommend you are vaccinated well before the winter season starts, March and April.
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A Nurse Suffered Long Lasting Shoulder Pain:
Pharmacists are not the only ones who may have a problem.
We also heard from a nurse:
As a nurse, I am required to get the flu vaccine. I did so this year in September at my local drugstore. I started experiencing pain the next day, and now, approximately a month later, I have limited range of motion above my head, a constant pain throughout the day and if I roll over on my left side at night, the pain wakes me up.
I reported this to my physician four days ago. He said, Its probably a pinched nerve in your neck.
When I mentioned the possibility of an adverse reaction to the flu vaccine or the technique, he immediately dismissed the idea. This is NOT a normal reaction to the flu vaccine. Id like to get the word out to the public, especially physicians.
Shoulder Tendonitis From A Vaccine
Improper vaccine administration either in the pharmacy or at a doctors office can cause adverse reactions such as shoulder injuries. Flu shots and other vaccines can cause shoulder tendonitis, a painful condition in the upper arm caused by inflammation of the tendons connecting the shoulder muscles to the bone. If you suffered tendonitis caused by a flu shot or other vaccine, you can seek compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. This federal program provides compensation for certain vaccine injuries.
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Do You Have A Question For Dr Ellie
Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies.
If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP.
The over-use of antibiotics in all areas has contributed to the problems of MRSA and the severe bowel infection C.difficile, so a very thoughtful approach is needed.
It is important that the prescribing GP utilises local guidelines that take into account patterns of resistance.
Generally, an antibiotic would be given for six months. If recurrent cystitis is associated with intercourse, then we know that using a post-coital antibiotic can be just as effective as a long-term course, so this should be given a go.
Much is written about lifestyle changes for recurrent urine infections, but in fact there is no scientific evidence to suggest cranberry juice, dietary changes, certain clothes or timing urination after intercourse can help prevent them.
The majority of cases in the UK are caused by the bacteria E.coli, which lives harmlessly in the gut as part of our natural body flora.
Vaccines would need to target their detrimental effect on the bladder without interfering with their role in the gut a challenge that is still many years away.
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You don’t have to skin and bear it
How Does It Happen
SIRVA can happen if a medical worker gives you a vaccine shot too high up on your upper arm. That could accidentally damage tissues or structures in the shoulder.
The right place to give this type of shot is in the middle, thickest part of the deltoid, a large triangular muscle that goes from your upper arm bone to your collarbone.
To prevent SIRVA and give these shots properly, many medical workers are trained to look or feel for specific physical âlandmarksâ on the arm that guide them to the deltoid muscle.
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Why Give Shots In The Arm
While the gluteus maximus in your butt is a very large muscle, there are some advantages to targeting the deltoid muscle in your shoulder.
First, the deltoid has less fat surrounding it than the gluteus maximus. Most vaccinesincluding the flu shotdont work as well when they are injected into fatty tissue. Second, your sciatic nerve runs down your lower back and into your bottom. A health care provider would risk irritating that nerveand causing you debilitating pain called sciaticaif they administered a flu shot to your butt.
Third, its more convenient to administer a flu shot to a bare shoulder than to a bare butt.
What Arm Should I Get My Flu Shot In
Dr. Mora recommends getting the flu shot in the arm you use the least. “That way if you are writing or doing day-to-day activities, you’re not aggravating the muscle even more,” she says.Some other ways to reduce pain include trying not to tense your arm while you’re being vaccinated and moving your arm after vaccination to increase blood flow and help disperse the vaccine throughout the area.
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Q: Is The Flu Vaccine Safe For Pregnant Women
A: As a general guide, any females that are pregnant, planning to be pregnant or breastfeeding, should discuss with their Doctor as to whether they obtain the flu vaccine during their first trimester. The Australian Immunisation Handbook, published by the National Health and Medical Research Council, recommends vaccination for pregnant women who will be in the their second and or third trimester during the flu season due to evidence from a number of studies that suggest an increased risk of developing flu-associated complications. Please advise our practitioners at the time of vaccinating if you are pregnant.
Why Does The Flu Shot Make Your Arm Sore The Next Day
Heres the simple answer: The flu shot hurts because someone put a needle into your shoulder muscle and inserted fluid. The complete explanation is a bit more complicated, and it has more to do with your bodys response to the shot than with the shot itself.
The discomfort you feel the next day is an inflammation response to an injury , as well as an inflammation response driven by your immune system. The inflammation is a sign that your body is making and delivering antibodies to the injection site.
The flu shot is aimed at muscle because your immune systems response is greater when the vaccine is inserted there. But that means youll feel some pain later when you use that muscle.
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What The Cdc Does Not Tell You About Flu Shots:
Rarely, if ever, are people told how the influenza vaccine should be administered. The assumption is that whoever gives you the shot has been well trained. That may not always be true.
Years ago, most flu shots were administered by nurses or even doctors. Now, many people get their vaccinations at the pharmacy.
Starting early in the fall, the signs come up promoting influenza vaccines, sometimes even for free. If you take advantage of such an offer, make sure the person who gives you the shot knows how to do it correctly. Read on to find out why thats important!
Readers Report Pain And Disability Linked To Flu Shot
If we had only received a few reports of pain and disability associated with the influenza vaccine we would not be concerned. After all, some people are allergic to flu shots and react badly. Fortunately, that is a relatively small number of individuals.
We have received hundreds of reports of long-lasting shoulder or arm pain following flu vaccination. We suspect that it may be partially related to the higher dose or the four flu strains being recommended for older people. Here is one such story:
I try to do my part to stay healthy, so I obediently took the super flu shot for seniors. It is now six weeks later and I am still not sleeping due to the pain in my upper arm and elbow.
Also, I obediently allowed my local pharmacist to administer the shot. Now my primary doctor refuses to treat my problem because his office did not give me the shot. The drug store has contacted their insurance company to open a file on me. When I tried using a liniment it made the pain worse and kept me awake that night. I dont know what I can do.
Here are just a few other messages:
Kathy in Utah reported:
Laurie in Oakland, CA became very concerned:
Pat shares this tale of woe:
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