Shoulder & Arm Pain long after Flu Shot / Vaccine

[Myarmhurtstoo]

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...

[Fernandezm45]

My flu shot was on 9/29/2015. Today is 1/2/2016 and still haven't been able to tie my bra. Yes I can lift it up a little bit more than before but that's it

[Buencompadre]

Myarmhurtstoo... You wrote this post 5 years ago. I would love to hear how are you feeling right now. I hope you found a solution for your pain. That would give us a lot of hope.
I'm looking forward to hear from you.
Best regards.

[Kgraff23]

So 13 months months post flu shot I am STILL in pain. I did go to an orthopedic surgeon in January. He did X-rays and said the bones are fine, which I already knew. He gave me an option of a cortisone injection, an MRI, or surgery. I chose the cortisone injection and yes it gave me relief for about 2 months, for the first time I could lift my arm over my head without pain. It almost seems as if it "wore off" in about March. I started getting throbbing pain in my arm intermittently and it's almost constant now. I can lift it over my head though. I have not been back, mostly because I start the LPN-RN program in January and do not want to find out something is wrong with it and not be able to start school. So for now, I will continue to endure and eventually get an MRI and see what is really going on. I am required to get another flu shot for school, I am afraid to do so, but it is mandatory.

[ouchmyshoulderhurts]

See my previous posts as your complaint is identical to mine. I too received my annual flu shot last Sept 2014 and after physical therapy 2-3 times per week since October 2014!!! I've had x rays, 2 MRI's, and 3 steroid shots!!! I was told by the orthopedic surgeon (who happens to practice at the same hospital that gave me my flu shot!!!), he rolled his eyes at me and said I just have a lot of swelling in my bursa because that's where the shot went and that i basically needed to just wait for it to go away!  I finally asked my family dr if he'd refer me somewhere else and he thankfully did because they found out that my bursa had a tear and needed debriedment and repair. All from a flu shot that was given too high!  It has nothing to do with the concoction of the shot either! it has everything to do with the placement. Just yesterday I had my surgery and it's too soon to tell, but the dr that did my surgery feels that my motion will be restored. He also did tell me that he has seen this before from a flu shot so don't let anyone make you feel like it cannot happen because it CAN!  Keep talking with doctors until you find one that'll listen to you.

[ouchmyshoulderhurts]

#Update-  4/27/15
Here I am 7 months later, shoulder x-rays, MRI, 6 1/2 straight months of physical therapy 2-3 times per week, 3 shoulder steroid shots and a diagnosis of chemical bursitis!  Next week I see the specialists again and am getting another MRI to determine if I will now benefit from arthroscopic debriedment of the bursa or if maybe another steroid shot is needed. I am still in a lot of pain, however NOT as much as when I first got the flu shot. I have had improvements but internal rotation is a huge problem. After my last steroid injection (under sonogram guidance!) I can lift my arm straight up with minimal discomfort, but straight up and reaching toward the 1 o'clock position it starts to really hurt .  On the steering wheel 3 o'clock - 5 o'clock position hurts so bad I could vomit!  I might add that in the few weeks after my 3rd shot these movements didn't hurt me, but now I feel the steroid is wearing off and pain is returning.  

[akatm70]

I received my flu shot in Sept 2014 and I noticed then that my arm was unusually sore with limited movement from the shot but thought it would go away in a few days. Today,  I am in horrible pain!  I cannot lift my arm to my side, above my head, sleep on my side and if I make certain movements, I feel like I have just broke my arm in to! It will bring me to my knees in pain! Tramadol, lortab, mobic, nor muscle relaxer have given me relief. Anybody with any suggestions, it would be so greatly appreciated.