I’ve recently had several people ask me how my shoulder is doing since getting my flu shot at the beginning of January. It’s now flu shot season, and judging by traffic to this site, others have also been wondering if the shoulder pain they’re experiencing after their shot is typical or not. So I wanted to provide an update on it.
Is my shoulder better now?
Yes. And no.
Back in February, a month after my flu shot, I saw an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed me with subacromial bursitis. I was given a cortisone shot directly into the joint to help with the pain and stiffness, and handed an order for physical therapy. The cortisone shot was like a miracle – my shoulder was more sore the day the shot was given, but by day three the pain was nearly gone. I still had some stiffness and ache if I moved my shoulder to the upper limits of a stretch, but otherwise I felt great.
I set up my physical therapy and completed six weeks of appointments, twice a week. The goal was to strengthen and stretch the muscles around that joint for better movement and (hopefully) no more pain.
By April, I thought that perhaps I was all in the clear. The pain was gone, and other than some “popping” in my shoulder for certain movements, it seemed completely normal.
Then in mid-June, I went to Chicago for a one-day trip: one plane ride there, half a day in a conference, and then a few hours wait in the airport before another plane ride home. While waiting for my flight home, I noticed that my shoulder felt a little sore. I had been carrying my bag on that shoulder for part of the day, so I assumed that the soreness was just muscle soreness from carrying the bag during a very busy day. My back was sore from uncomfortable seats on the plane, too, so I didn’t worry.
But then a week later I noticed that shoulder in particular was still a little sore with certain movements. Shouldn’t it have been better by now? I took some ibuprofen for the next week, restarted the exercises I was taught in physical therapy, and hoped it was just a small flare up that would go away.
I finally admitted this low-level, chronic ache wasn’t going away at the start of August (yes, AUGUST – I’m stubborn like that), and scheduled an appointment with the orthopedic specialist again. He took a look and said the range of motion was still better than it had been, but wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on. X-rays were taken, and nothing could be seen from them, so he ordered an MRI.
The MRI thankfully showed no damage to the rotator cuff tendons. So, ruling out any other issues, we were right back to the original diagnosis – subacromial bursitis. He told me that the cortisone shot probably did a great job at keeping the inflammation in check, but that it eventually wears off for most people. It’s likely that the cortisone shot I received in February lost its effectiveness in June, allowing the inflammation caused by my improperly placed flu shot to come back.
My doctor suggested another cortisone shot, since the first one did help. When he was injecting the cortisone, the doctor said bursitis was definitely the diagnosis, as the joint capsule was very tight and he had to apply more pressure than usual to get the cortisone into the space.
For now, my shoulder feels fine. I have full range of movement, I can sleep on that side, and while I’m still a little weaker on the left, I can perform weight-bearing exercises on that side. The first cortisone shot did eventually wear off, but my shoulder was still in a better state at that point than it was before the first cortisone injection was given. My hope is that the second cortisone shot finishes the job and allows the joint to completely heal.
But the truth is, I don’t know for sure. It’s possible the cortisone will wear off again and I’ll be right back in my doctor’s office. It’s definitely a possibility. There was talk of surgery to essentially “clean out” the joint as a last resort – I’d like to avoid that if I can. Surgery is simply not something I even want to think about right now.
I’m still frustrated that I had to go through all of this due to a flu shot. SIRVA (Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration) is a serious issue, and while it only affects a small percentage of people, it’s entirely preventable by ensuring good form when giving an injection.
I still stand by the tips I provided in my first post about this. If the placement seems wrong, say something. Make sure the person giving the shot is at the same level as you. Consider carefully who will be giving the shot. And if you’re eligible for it, consider the Flumist instead.
This is a good spot for an injection. Not higher.
A stiff or painful shoulder after a flu shot can be completely normal. The pain is usually at its worst the day of and the immediate day after, fading quickly after that, and it’s felt in the muscle. If the pain gets worse on day two or day three, doesn’t start to decrease by day four, and is causing you to restrict your range of motion with that shoulder, it’s worth giving your doctor a call to get it looked at.
There’s a big push for everyone to get their flu shots at this time of year. I haven’t received mine yet, and I’ll admit to being a little more cautious about having it done this time. I’ll likely either choose the Flumist nasal vaccine, or let the nurse in my family doctor’s office give the shot, as I trust her to do it properly.
I won’t tell you that you must have a flu vaccine or that you should avoid them completely – that’s an individual decision for all of us. But I would urge you to pay attention if you do get one, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s your health, and you have the right to make sure your vaccine is being given properly.
Note: a quick Google search helped me find this recent article for nurses, which specifically mentions techniques to avoid shoulder injury. It’s good to see the medical community taking more notice of this topic.
Thank you for updating and for your original post. I received my flu shot last Friday (10/24) and by Sunday I was hurting so bad that I consulted Dr. Google and found your post from January. My story is so similar to yours that I could have written that post myself. On day 4 I went to urgent care and was diagnosed with Inflammation due to flu shot and given a prescription for Prednisone. On day 5 my shoulder started popping when I move it. Today is day 7 and I am still hurting. Next week I go to my primary care physician and I plan to ask for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. Thanks to your post, at least I know some of what might be going on. I’m happy to hear your rotator cuff wasn’t damaged. I hope your pain clears up for good really soon! Thanks again!
Wow! Like the other comment from Leigh, I shared the exact experience and now know why my arm hurts so bad. I wanted so much to say “Hey that looks a little too high” when I got my shot, but being timid, said nothing. I even mentioned it didn’t hurt at all, and credited the MA on her expertise at giving shots.
I’m definitely bringing it up when I visit next week. Thanks for the blog
Signed up for future comments
Nobody in Canada knows about SIRVA at all.
I called two nurses about this and neither had heard of it. I saw a doctor who also knew nothing, same for the pharmacist. I actually returned to the pharmacy where I received my ‘too-high’ flu shot and spoke with the head pharmacist. Not only had he never heard of SIRVA but he showed me the “right spot” for a vaccination and it was way too high. He’s clearly training his staff to administer the vaccine incorrectly. (I might add, I said the positioning looked too high at the time of the vaccination… I said it twice and the pharmacist disagreed and did it anyway. I can’t even be angry with her because she clearly just did.not.know.better).
As far as I can tell, I’m in No-Man’s Land in Canada…. this is the injury no one has ever heard of.
Please keep updating on your arm – I suspect there are a *lot* of us watching your progress, hoping you’ll have a full recovery so that we might hope for the same.
I’m in Canada and finding the same thing
I keep being told that this is impossible and all in my head. Why has no one heard of this up here?!?!
I wanted to share my experience with all of you so that you know that not all of these incidents end in horror stories and that each person’s experience is likely to be unique to them.
I, too, obtained a flu shot, a TDAP shot and a pneumococcal shot at a Walgreen’s in late August 2014 at around 1 PM. The flu and TDAP shots were both administered in my left arm and I felt little pain at the time of injection. By 6 PM, my left arm was sore and I was having difficulty moving it without more pain. By the next day, I could not move my arm more than 3 inches forward or laterally without excruciating pain. Since I was unable to do much of anything, I started an internet search to see what I could find about this phenomena and found this blog, as well as several other sites that indicated that this condition was not uncommon. After reading this blog, I began to fear that this shoulder pain and restriction of movement may never go away.
I visited my family doctor, who gave me some pain pills. After several days of no improvement and continued excruciating pain, he sent me to an Orthopedic specialist, who took Xrays, but found nothing other than the obvious inflammation and restricted arm movement. He gave me a sling, which I wore for several days. There seemed to be no improvement in range of motion and in the accompanying pain for several weeks. During this time, I decided to go back to my workouts and try to do a little more each day to move my arm a bit further. While the improvement was barely noticeable at the time, the pain gradually decreased and my range of motion gradually increased. After about 8 weeks, I could swing a golf club at about 3/4 normal take away and speed, with a moderate amount of pain. Now, almost four months after the shots, my range of motion is almost back to normal and I only feel pain when I move my arm to its extreme limits.
Again, my experience is likely to be different than yours. Fortunately, mine appears to have a happy ending.
I've run fever as high as 102.6 and now my shoulder injection site which I had both the pneumonia and flu shots is streaking red and swollen. I've called "ask-a-nurse" twice, but have been told it's normal. I'm fifty years old. I'm thinking this is not normal, but they are insistent this is. Unfortunately it is the holidays and my health care provider is closed until after the holidays. I'm quite sure I've received a shoulder injury, and like you…. I never even the shots. I don't think I'll ever get this shot again.
This exact thing happened to me and I am so angry. I had the shot last week and had severe pain for two days which eventually got better but didn’t completely go away. Today I worked out and I think I may have exacerbated the problem. I need to see a doctor and figure out if I have bursitis or anything. Thanks for sharing your story.
Had the shot high on my arm. That didn’t hurt, but about a couple of hours later my arm hurt to move, raise it or just doing nothing. It is red and swollen, but not at the needle site. It is about 2 inches below it. Next time I will really be insistent on standing. It has not gone away but better than it has been. Thanks for the information.
Mine was the same as yours. Just a slight pin prick pain. However, in about 30 minutes my arm hurt about 4-6 inches from the injection site. It hurts to raise it and some pain in the back under the rib cage???It has been 3 weeks now and still have the same pain. Maybe it will be gone by the time Christmas is here.
My story thus far is very similar to yours. My injury occurred 23 days ago. Pain had gotten better for a little while and now is back. I’m very curious to know how you’re doing. Thank you so much for the information in your blog! You have helped map out a plan of action for myself!
As I read your story, it’s exactly the same as my experience. I’m 13 weeks pregnant and I’m required to have the flu vaccine where I work. The injection was given in my dominant arm and was completely pain free. By the next day I was very painful. It has been almost 3 weeks and I’m still suffering from a dull ache and sometimes unable to move my arm. I’m very concerned and worried because I am pregnant.
I, too, had a flu shot this past September 2015 and now have a shoulder injury. From the flu shot? I’m not sure but my pharmacist help me realize that it is a really good chance it was from just that. I was not diagnosed with SIRVA but with a really, really bad case of ‘frozen shoulder’. A lot of pain, stiffness and very little mobility. I cannot sleep on my affected shoulder and am wondering if I’d rather be sick with the flu than have to endure this pain for this long (now November).
I had my flu shot in mid-October. It’s November 28th and the pain is worse than ever. I’ve just recently started having difficulty with range of motion. I guess I better see a doctor. Thank you so much for posting your experience.
Its been three weeks from my flu shot and I haven’t slept but just a few hours at a time. Every time I reach to roll over I’m in so much pain it wakes me up. I can no longer lift my arm over my head or pick up anything over five pounds without pain. I can’t believe a nurse at my doctors office didn’t have better training to give a shot correctly. I lift a lot with my job and now I feel helpless. I just keep pushing through the pain. 800 mg of ibuprofen is not even touching it. Guess I need to get some help cause it’s evident this is not going away.
just want updates.
Thank you so much for putting this info out there for myself and others. I am an RN also and it seemed as though you wrote this for me. Same scenario! Currently, I’m taking Neurontin and have found this plus a Motrin has provided relief from the horrible pain.
Please continue to update!
I am so glad I found your website….I too had the flu shot over a month ago at my doctors office and am experiencing the same pain. I will go to the doctors as well. I have been doing my usual workouts with light weights and Pilates. I am afraid that if I do not continue to do this then it will get worse when I go back to working out. It is a constant dull pain. Thank you again everyone for posting. I thought I was going crazy or being a wimp with the pain!
Flu shot Oct. 28th at work, three nurses brought in to administer. It seemed the shot was “high”, the nurse squeezed my muscle while administering, it seemed unusual as I’ve had flu shots before and do not recall nurses in the past doing that. It was painful at the time of the shot, also not ever experienced that. Immediately that day my shoulder where the shot was administered was very painful. Assumed normal. A few other people commented the same, I assumed normal. I went to the doc on Nov 18th, doc wasn’t 100% convinced my pain was a result from the flu shot but ordered 600mg pain meds (Advil), methylprednisolone and physical therapy. Being the holiday season, I did not take the time to fill the prescriptions though I continued to take Advil daily sometimes several times a day. The pain is worse at night and mornings are absolutely horrific. The pain is so bad I can’t get out of bed. It seems during the night, if my arm is above my head, it’s most comfortable, otherwise the pain keeps me up at night; I do not sleep through the night. Showering, getting dressed and doing my hair is very much a challenge. Today I finally decided enough was enough and started the steroid meds. This morning was the worst pain to date leaving me nearly in tears as I attempted to get out of bed and get ready. I can’t bare this pain, it’s absolutely awful and I am scared if it doesn’t get better. I’ve not ever experienced this much pain in my life and I’ve endured a lot thus far; being an athlete, I broke my foot in HS during a race and kept running, I was a Div 1 college athlete overcoming several injuries, I’ve given birth to 3 children, I’ve had surgery for a blocked appendix and neck surgery to remove a tumor (parathyroid)….all of those do not compare to this pain. I am restricted in most anything I do or try to do, simple chores are challenge. Life has been severely compromised. I wish I knew about this risk before I had the shot. I thought I was doing the right thing :/
HI!
I had my flu shot Oct. 28 and have the same symptoms…. it’s so bad I can sleep at night or at least it’s miserable…. I work out with light weights and it seems to help a little. I just wish the pain would go away…. I’m glad I found this post…. and all the comments. I too thought I was going crazy thinking a shot could cause what I was feeling.
I still have the pain but it has not been as bad. If I move in a certain way it does shock me to remembering that it is still there. I try not to raise the arm to high or lean over and move my arm…haven’t found any doc that doesn’t think I am a wimp!!
Any solutions yet? Who is responsible, legally? Especially if you can’t worķ?
My turn! Had the flu and pneumonia vaccine in the same arm but not high as some of you. So this was Oct 1st. My left shoulder is very painful and wakes me up at night. I cannot pull my seatbelt over me, pull my pants up scoot up or down in bed. I went for physical therapy with no improvement. I know the next step is an MRI. The pain started mid upper arm and is traveling downward now. Wish I never had these shots. I now have a chronic shoulder problem.
Have you contacted a laywer to get compensated for your injury. I am thinking of doing this as well. The government has money set aside for cases like this so it shouldn’t cost you any money. Good luck!
I live in the UK and had a flu jab on November 4th 2015 in a local pharmacy, administered high into the shoulder. Have suffered chronic shoulder and arm pain ever since but neither the pharmacist nor my GP had heard of SIRVA – I was told the pain was caused by “wear and tear” due to my age (a fit 66year old female!). Currently waiting for the results of an MRI scan.
I had a prevnar 13 injection at a Walmart pharmacy, given by the pharmacist. He injected my left shoulder am lost in the shoulder joint. For 5 months I have had pain, unable to sleep on it. Now increasing radiating pain into shoulder blade and chest. Today I was unable to remove my cell phone from my rear pocket as the pain was so bad. Is there any recourse for this. I know we sign a form that the pharmacist is not responsible for problems after the injection. What can I do at this point in time.