Shoulder pain is a common side effect of a vaccine. Usually, it gets better fairly quickly and causes no long-term problems. However, some people develop a rare problem called shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).
This article will go over why SIRVA happens and what you can do to prevent it if you’re getting vaccinated.
What Is SIRVA?
Sometimes, the shoulder pain that comes on after a vaccine does not get better. When this happens, it’s called shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).
What Causes SIRVA?
SIRVA is thought to happen because the vaccine needle goes into theshoulder jointor the shoulder bursa instead of the deltoid muscle tissue.When the vaccine is injected into the synovial tissue of the joint or bursa, an immune response can happen and cause severe inflammation.
Vaccines are safe and effective. For most people, the benefits of vaccinations outweigh the possible risks.That said, even relatively simple medical procedures like getting a shot need to be done carefully and appropriately to avoid problems.
What Are the Symptoms of SIRVA?
The signs and symptoms of SIRVA include:
How Is SIRVA Treated?
People diagnosed with SIRVA may get relief from treatments that are targeted at controlling the inflammation, such asnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) and cortisone injections. These treatments can take weeks or even months to work. Surgery is not usually needed for SIRVA.
Facts About Vaccine Ingredients and Safety
How to Prevent SIRVA
Most of the key steps for preventing SIRVA are (literally) in the hands of healthcare providers who give vaccines. That said, there are some steps that you can take to advocate for yourself when you’re getting a vaccine:
Summary
It’s normal to have some mild pain in your arm when you have a shot, including a vaccine. However, there is a more serious kind of pain that can happen after vaccination. Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) is rare but it does happen.
A Word From Verywell
Vaccines administered to the shoulder area are exceedingly safe, and there is no question that research demonstrates that the benefits from the flu vaccine, and other immunizations, far outweigh the risks of these injections.
However, there are problems that can occur, including chronic shoulder pain resulting from incorrectly administered injections. Making sure your healthcare provider is trained in proper vaccine administration can help to ensure this complication will not happen to you.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zheng C, Duffy J, Liu ILA, et al.Risk for shoulder conditions after vaccination: A population-based study using real-world data.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2022;175(5):634-643. doi:10.7326/m21-3023Cross GB, Moghaddas J, Buttery J, Ayoub S, Korman TM.Don’t aim too high: avoiding shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.Aust Fam Physician. 2016;45(5):303-306.Cook IF.Subdeltoid/subacromial bursitis associated with influenza vaccination.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014;10(3):605-6. doi:10.4161/hv.27232World Health Organization.Risk scales: benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks.Bancsi A, Houle SKD, Grindrod KA.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration and other injection site events.Can Fam Physician. 2019;65(1):40-42.Chu ECP.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) in 16 patients following COVID-19 vaccination who presented to chiropractic, orthopedic, and physiotherapy clinics in Hong Kong during 2021.Medical Science Monitor. 2022;28. doi:10.12659/msm.937430Sahu D.Shoulder pain and injury after COVID-19 vaccination.Yale J Biol Med. 2022;95(2):217-220. Published 2022 Jun 30.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zheng C, Duffy J, Liu ILA, et al.Risk for shoulder conditions after vaccination: A population-based study using real-world data.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2022;175(5):634-643. doi:10.7326/m21-3023Cross GB, Moghaddas J, Buttery J, Ayoub S, Korman TM.Don’t aim too high: avoiding shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.Aust Fam Physician. 2016;45(5):303-306.Cook IF.Subdeltoid/subacromial bursitis associated with influenza vaccination.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014;10(3):605-6. doi:10.4161/hv.27232World Health Organization.Risk scales: benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks.Bancsi A, Houle SKD, Grindrod KA.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration and other injection site events.Can Fam Physician. 2019;65(1):40-42.Chu ECP.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) in 16 patients following COVID-19 vaccination who presented to chiropractic, orthopedic, and physiotherapy clinics in Hong Kong during 2021.Medical Science Monitor. 2022;28. doi:10.12659/msm.937430Sahu D.Shoulder pain and injury after COVID-19 vaccination.Yale J Biol Med. 2022;95(2):217-220. Published 2022 Jun 30.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Zheng C, Duffy J, Liu ILA, et al.Risk for shoulder conditions after vaccination: A population-based study using real-world data.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2022;175(5):634-643. doi:10.7326/m21-3023Cross GB, Moghaddas J, Buttery J, Ayoub S, Korman TM.Don’t aim too high: avoiding shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.Aust Fam Physician. 2016;45(5):303-306.Cook IF.Subdeltoid/subacromial bursitis associated with influenza vaccination.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014;10(3):605-6. doi:10.4161/hv.27232World Health Organization.Risk scales: benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks.Bancsi A, Houle SKD, Grindrod KA.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration and other injection site events.Can Fam Physician. 2019;65(1):40-42.Chu ECP.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) in 16 patients following COVID-19 vaccination who presented to chiropractic, orthopedic, and physiotherapy clinics in Hong Kong during 2021.Medical Science Monitor. 2022;28. doi:10.12659/msm.937430Sahu D.Shoulder pain and injury after COVID-19 vaccination.Yale J Biol Med. 2022;95(2):217-220. Published 2022 Jun 30.
Zheng C, Duffy J, Liu ILA, et al.Risk for shoulder conditions after vaccination: A population-based study using real-world data.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2022;175(5):634-643. doi:10.7326/m21-3023
Cross GB, Moghaddas J, Buttery J, Ayoub S, Korman TM.Don’t aim too high: avoiding shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.Aust Fam Physician. 2016;45(5):303-306.
Cook IF.Subdeltoid/subacromial bursitis associated with influenza vaccination.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014;10(3):605-6. doi:10.4161/hv.27232
World Health Organization.Risk scales: benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks.
Bancsi A, Houle SKD, Grindrod KA.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration and other injection site events.Can Fam Physician. 2019;65(1):40-42.
Chu ECP.Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) in 16 patients following COVID-19 vaccination who presented to chiropractic, orthopedic, and physiotherapy clinics in Hong Kong during 2021.Medical Science Monitor. 2022;28. doi:10.12659/msm.937430
Sahu D.Shoulder pain and injury after COVID-19 vaccination.Yale J Biol Med. 2022;95(2):217-220. Published 2022 Jun 30.
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