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1465913 tn?1318971452

Shoulder & Arm Pain long after Flu Shot / Vaccine

got the flu shot this year as I do every year. That was over 3 weeks ago and my arm/shoulder still hurts. It was so bad that last week I went to the doc after reading threads online. He said we could spend a lot of money on tests (which may come back inconclusive) and physical therapy (which may not really speed up the healing process) but in the end it is probably just a matter of time. He DID give me a steriod pack which I finished yesterday morning...the last pill. The steriods helped immediately, however yesterday when I woke up the stiffness is back in the shoulder and has gotten worse. Today I could barely get dressed.

At its worst, the pain was so bad that when I tried to remove my gown over my head I doubled over...unable to the complete the task. I had tingling and numbness in my arm and fingers, and down into my shoulder blade. At times the pain travels down into my pec muscles and into my arm pit. I have never had anything like this from past flu shots other than a little arm soreness that lasted a couple of days. This is different. We believe (at my office) that the shot was a little high and also a bit further towards the back of the shoulder than in past years.

Right now I can apply pressure to the spot where the shot was given and feel a dull pain all the way down into my shoulder muscle and arm. Cannot sleep on my left side and simple things like carrying a purse or pulling the covers up cause intense, shooting pain. Had to get groceries last nite and was able to do it (even though it REALLY hurt) so there doesn't appear to be a lot of weakness right now. The pain seems to be worse while in bed trying to sleep and in the morning. Esp in the morning...

Because of a lowered kidney function my doc has told me to limit NSAID intake. This is bad news since that is the only thing that actually helped the pain. Since I can't afford expensive tests or PT right now (and from reading the blogs they don't really seem to help much in the diagnosis or recovery) I'm gonna give it a little time...unless it gets worse and becomes unbearable again. I plan to keep checking back here and reporting the progress. I DID feel better after reading the posts because I realized this was apparently not just some funky anomaly that only I was experiencing.

I am probably going back in to see my doc to let him know about the result of the steroids (immediate relief) as well as the sudden return of the pain as bad as (or worse) than before when the steriods were stopped. This is very depressing...I try to do what I can to be healthy and I actually wind up causing a problem. I have read that it could be needle placement (i.e. nerve, punctured bursa, muscle hematoma) or a reaction to the vaccine itself (preservatives, etc.). I am a 51 yr old female always received a flu shot never more than soreness for a couple of days. Guess I'm hoping for a miracle...everyone else reporting these symptoms indicates that recovery is VERY slow and takes many months up to a year. However, I have yet to see where someone pinpointed EXACTLY what the problem was...
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Avatar universal
Sorry I posted twice. I'm new to this site
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Avatar universal
This is so interesting. I got my flu shot in Sept. and my left shoulder has been so painful. I never even considered the pain to be from the shot. The upper deltoid is so painful right now and I started rubbing it. It feels like there's a hard knot the size if a golf ball in there. I remember when I got my shot the nurse told me my muscle was so dense and she had never seen that before. I do workout but am far from buff. Very difficult to use my left arm now when I workout. I have to modify everything. A couple weeks ago I had to take a norco because the pain was so bad and I haven't taken a narcotic in 20 yrs! I couldn't even get my shirt on. I looked up injection site complications and found all of these posts. I don't think it's bad enough to go to the doctor right now. I definitely think I got a terrible shot way too high. I'm an RN and should have said something but kept my mouth shut. I've given a lot of IM injections and never that high on the arm above the deltoid.
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Avatar universal
This is so interesting. I got my flu shot in Sept. and my left shoulder has been so painful. I never even considered the pain to be from the shot. The upper deltoid is so painful right now and I started rubbing it. It feels like there's a hard knot the size if a golf ball in there. I remember when I got my shot the nurse told me my muscle was so dense and she had never seen that before. I do workout but am far from buff. Very difficult to use my left arm now when I workout. I have to modify everything. A couple weeks ago I had to take a norco because the pain was so bad and I haven't taken a narcotic in 20 yrs! I couldn't even get my shirt on. I looked up injection site complications and found all of these posts. I don't think it's bad enough to go to the doctor right now. I definitely think I got a terrible shot way too high. I'm an RN and should have said something but kept my mouth shut. I've given a lot of IM injections and never that high on the arm above the deltoid.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's the Deltoid muscle that the flu shot is injected into. For the average adult a 1" needle is used with full penetration at a 90 degree angle. There are landmarks that should be used, 2 fingers below the acromion process then locate the axillary fold and meet in the middle.

I am a nursing student and being a "Guinea pig" I let a student inject me with my flu shot. I realized later that she injected it high on my deltoid. I always get the usual 24 hr soreness. I got my shot on oct 23, 2014 and I am still having pain. It throbs all day long, whether I take NSAIDS or not. Certain movements are almost impossible such as taking my shirt off over my head. Hot/cold do not work either. I went to the Dr and he said he thinks it's inflammation and put me on Celebrex, which isn't helping either. He said if it still hurts in 10 days (nov 23rd will be the 10 day mark) he wants me to see an orthopedist.
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Avatar universal
Did you ever get rid of the pain in your arm? My wife is in her second month of pain from a shingles shot and is sounds identical.
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Avatar universal
I got a four in one flu shot on October 14,2014 and my left arm has hurt since. I also,cannot sleep on my side nor raise my arm for any extended period of time. It wakes me up every night. The pharmacist gave the injection low on my arm nowhere near the thick muscle area. I was told by others this was not the correct place. It hurts all of the time. Went back to,walgreens to file a report as well as online to VAERS. I will see. Y regular physician this week for some stronger meds to get some relief. I am just glad it was my left arm and not my right which I use all of the time. Will never go there again. Will only go to my physician for
Injections.


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