The needle size makes a difference in how long the tissue around the shot takes to heal. Flu shots use a very small needle. Also you may have unknowingly tensed up your arm muscle during the shot.

I hope your arm soreness goes away soon.

I have a flu shot scheduled for next Tuesday. I sometimes have soreness at the injection site for a day or two.

This is the first time my husband and I took it. He had pain. I didn’t have much. My daughters got it and had some pain. All of the above just for a day or two.

My mother experienced pain at the site, then numbness in the arm for a couple of days. I would have called her doc but she didn’t say anything till it was ok again.

I massage the area a bit afterwards. Hurts a little doing it, but I had the least pain of our group. That’s just my experience though.

Maybe contact the doc again?

I’m sorry you’re experiencing pain. I hope it’s better soon!

I did find the pneumonia shot made my arm sore and I don't usually experience that , at least not longer than a day or so. I definitely did not have it linger a week. Sorry you are having this. Hope in another day or so you don't feel it.

I asked if this was normal, and her answer was "it could be."

If no relief with cold, have you tried warm compress/heating pad?

Would be concerned about possible radial or axillary nerve injury.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6347325/#__ffn_sectitle

+ week duration
+ hurt going in
+ feels sore constantly
+ painful lifting to side, in front, over head
- no redness/swelling

After my pneumonia shot my arm was sore for 3 days.

this is the first time I have had a flu shot. She gave it to me in the top of my arm by the shoulder. For two days It hurt bad. I usually don't take anything for pain but I had to. I couldn't even unhook my bra, I had to have DH do it. It didn't hurt going in. i didn't even feel it.

It will go away. I get a flu shot every year and they always hurt afterwards for a couple of days. Sometimes I can’t feel the injection, sometimes it really stings.

Yikes, Mdln, I just read up on possible nerve injury and it looks like this could be permanent?

Advil seems to help. Also when I take a hot shower.

Good sign ibuprofen/Advil and warmth helps!

Many people don't take adequate does of ibuprofen (200mg); for acute, short-term, I take 2 tablets every 8 hours, or 1 tablet every 4 hours; total 6 tablets/day.

Permanent nerve injury is very unlikely, but if it continues/doesn't improve would follow-up. Unfortunately, I have seen patients with this.

It's funny how different shots in different years will cause soreness. I don't know that I've had any last a week but have taken tylenol with more than one (I don't take advil). I don't remember the pneumonia shot as causing discomfort and we've both had the pneu23 and the prevnar13 but I sometimes wonder if it has to do with who is administering the shot. A nurse at a flu shot clinic one year put mine into my arm so high up it was approaching the bony shoulder area above the fleshy parts. That one hurt, both going in and after. Later, my friend who is our health dept nurse said she wished I wouldn't go to that private flu vaccine clinic, the nurse had a reputation for drinking! I never went there again ;0)

I had the pneumonia shot just over a year ago and remember it was sore for a couple of days. I have mine in my dominant arm due to avoiding punctures in the non-dominant arm from lymph node removal.

eld, I just had my second pneumonia shot and flu shot on Tuesday...one in each arm. Definitely sore and ibuprofen is helping. I had the same two shots last October and remember being sore for a few days then it was gone. The injections were painless.

Each and every time I receive a shot I always have some type of pain, swelling, and redness in my arm. It helps to describe the type of pain. I have had the whole upper arm in general pain, only the skin hurting, pain only when I touched the arm, and a knot that was painful. If you call your doctor's office it helps them if you can give them a better description than your arm hurts.

I haven't read the replies but it was last year's flu shot that was extremely painful for two long months. It's because of where the person put the needle in, which was too high up on the arm, something to do with the shoulder.

Google it, there's lots of info.

Mailfluer, we communicate through the patient portal. I explained what was happening.

Morz, I agree. I think it was too high. She had a resident in training with us for my exam.

I think she just explaining how to do it but probably wasn't paying as close attention. When that needle went in, I saw stars!!!

I allowed the nurse to win the debate with my first pneumonia shot and allowed her to do it on my non-dominant left side. Spent the rest of the day and evening forcing myself to use my left arm, and cursing her and myself allowing her to make the decision. It took about three days for the pain to go away.

For the second shot I insisted it be given on my right side. Went much easier since normal motion kept most of the stiffness away. Felt fine the next day. Only pain would be a mild bruising sensation if I intentionally pressed on the injection site.

I am a big proponent of keep moving with any pain unless movement could do further harm. If it's not broken I don't baby it.

"When that needle went in, I saw stars!!!"

Oh no! I don't recall having any injections hurt for flu, shingles, pneumonia. Just the bruising sensation after. The discomfort I mentioned in my post earlier today has subsided quite a bit in both arms.

wildchild mentioned "keep moving"...I agree!

I had one pharmacist who gave me a flu shot high up near the shoulder. That hurt like the dickens! But I talked to a friend and he was a medic in the service and said that was where he was taught to give them. The Shingrix shots hurt for a while.

i get regular allergy shots and sometimes I have to sleep with an ice pack for a week!

I hope your pain goes away soon. I asked my doctor last week when I had my last Tetanus and pneumonia vaccines and he told me they no longer recommend pneumonia vaccines unless you are 65 and older. Had no idea, so I went to the CDC website to verify and it's true. My last one was 4 years ago so I guess my next one will be in another 7 years.

Now, any time I receive a shot I ask the nurse to aim lower on my arm. Every time I received one up near the shoulder, it ached for days. I'm wondering when they started using the almost-shoulder area because I remember as a kid and young person having injections just above the mid-upper-arm area of my arm.

@ sjerin, Site on the arm depends on if the medication should be delivered IM - in the muscle, or SC subcutaneous - in the fat.

IM should be 2-3 finger-widths below the shoulder, in the deltoid muscle.

My arm was very sore for nearly a week after the Prevnar-13.

Some immunizations do cause more pain than others.