Report to VAERS…

Bursitis is no fun. I would also call your doctor to get a shot (of steroids?? can't recall what I got years ago for this) for the pain.

As I understand it, the location of the vaxx shot is quite specific to avoid problems. Too high, too low = not good....

I got my Pfizer booster on 9/25, from a CVS pharmacist. The injection site (about 3 inches down from the top of my shoulder) was significantly more sore that night than with either of the previous shots. Now, two months later my upper arm continues to feel as if I've been punched hard). It hurts whenever there is any pressure on it (such as lying in bed or when I rub it). It is sore even without touching actually, but to a lesser degree. Is this bursitis or is bursitis pain that is actually IN the joint?

Would follow-up with either primary care or orthopedic physician.

More info. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6347325/

I had the exact same experience. My shot was given by a Nationala Guard member and was very close to my shoulder joint. It felt fine for a few days and then on day 4, I couldn't lift my arm or bring it across my body. I'm sorry to say that it lasted for over a month and then disappeared. I reported it as an adverse reaction, but the issue seems to be that the injection was way to high. It might be something called SIRVA (Shoulder Injury After Vaccination). I made an appointment with an ortho md, but two days before my appointment the pain disappeared. I still have a slight raised dot where the shot went in. My advice is ice, advil and stay off SIRVA forums. (Way too many horror stories.)

Thanks, everyone!

Springoz, I've just submitted the report to VAERS. I do think this has more to do with the location of the shot than the shot itself, but we'll see what happens.

Bestyears, I'm calling it bursitis, but I really don't know. The pain is primarily in my shoulder and running down the back of my arm between the shoulder and elbow. I cannot move my left arm without pain.

mdln, I can't get out of the sweatshirt I'm currently wearing to inspect it, but from my viewpoint at the time I'd say that my injection site was just below the Acromium line and above that yellow triangular area. I'll wait and see what it's like tomorrow, and if not better then I'll definitely call my primary care physician.

jojoco, oh boy, I'm not happy to hear that. I don't think I could last a month because my hair won't be combed or washed and my shirts won't come off until I can move without such pain. lol! I promise not to read about SIRVA! I saw a little about that last night when I was searching, so understand what you mean.

Thanks, everyone!

I have to have blood drawn every six months due to a thyroid condition I have to monitor. So after having gotten dozens of pokes over the years, I have to say that needle skills vary widely, even among nurses, and it makes a huge difference. That's why for this situation, I try to find a place to go where they are reliably good at it, like a lab that just does blood testing. In your case, I hope if you follow up with your doctor you can get relief. And as far as others, I would recommend getting a booster at a place where they give shots all the time, not from just-trained folks. Not that just-trained folks can't be excellent and trained folks terrible, but one can only do what one can. I have found in general, that medical care varies widely from doctor to doctor and nurse to nurse and hospital to hospital. Just like everything else, it depends on the people.

Oh boy, don’t tell me this. My booster is tomorrow. I already have a lot of pain in one shoulder due to rotator cuff tears and bursitis in my hip. Fun Fun! The last thing i need is more pain. I am expecting to be not feeling well for a day but am hoping for no long lasting effects. Party, I hope your pain resolves itself soon.

I'm pretty sure bursitis is in the joint. If I were you, I would probably run it by my regular doctor and see what they think. I hope you feel better soon!

Thanks, everyone! For some reason, I couldn't see all of the responses earlier.

roxanna, I agree!

Eileen, re getting the correct height, I'm short and was seated and she was short and standing. I also read that shooters should be seated when their victims are seated. :) Like I said, she was GOOD though! A friend has used her for vaccines for years and recommended her. I think it's just my bad luck -- I have that once in a while. :)

lpink, same here and it's even worse because I'm told that I have *tiny* veins. I used to get jabbed multiple times in each arm as they tried to tap me. Finally, a phlebotomist told me to always ask for a butterfly. Since I've done that, they've been successful at tapping me the first time, every time. :O)

dedtired, thank you! I hope that your booster shot is completely uneventful!!! I won't even tell you about the nightmare I'm having trying to get my mother boosted!

Thanks, Tina Marie. I am just keeping my arm tight against my body, bent at the elbow. That seems to be "neutral" and doesn't cause pain. Hoping it subsides by tomorrow, and if not I'll call my doctor.

I was at my GP this am. I had lymphadenopathy or swelling of my lymph nodes after my booster. I only had it noticeably in my axilla that had the sentinel node biopsy for my breast cancer. I am 7 weeks out now and the pain and tenderness is just starting to go away. My breast surgeon said that they are seeing it last up to 12 weeks.

My GP told the tale of one of her patients that alternated arms for the shots. With this last one, the non shot arm reacted and was sore and inflamed.

Good old inflammatory response going on there!

PM that's what they always tell me, "small veins." Ah the curse of small veins. Well, that doesn't count for a vaccine. I dunno. When I got my second covid shot, my arm hurt quite a bit longer than for other vaccines I have received, and I was sick in bed with muscle aches and tiredness for two days. I started to feel super good after that, but I must say, the arm aching lasted quite a while. It was not debilitating and did eventually go away.

Bursitis is one of those "inflammatory" things so it might be aggravated by a vaccine. I suffer from a host of "inflammatory" conditions and they are maddening, there is often no rhyme or reason to what aggravates them or why and when they decide to abate.

RNmom, hopefully your symptoms will improve sooner. That’s weird about the non-shot arm reacting. I’m just really glad that I stuck with my non-dominant side for the booster yesterday.

I'm told that I have *tiny* veins. I used to get jabbed multiple times in each arm as they tried to tap me. Finally, a phlebotomist told me to always ask for a butterfly. @party_music50 Same for me!!

@RNmomof2 zone 5 I had swelling in the lymph nodes under my arm after either my first or second vaccine dose. Luckily, I had seen or read that this was common and didn't panic. It took a couple of weeks or so to clear up. I didn't have that with my booster. The Mr. and I had both vaccine doses and booster done at a local pharmacy. The gals that gave our shots were fantastic. I sat for all 3 of my injections, they didn't. However, they practically measured down my arm to find the right spot.

I had scheduled my mammogram for a week or so after my 2nd shot. They called from the facility and asked me to reschedule, since they had seen swelling in some lymph nodes that produced a false positive with the mammogram. I was glad they were pro-active and happily complied.

Party, the same thing happened to me two years ago after a flu shot the pharmacist gave me. Vaccines shots are now to be given higher up in the arm which causes shoulder damage.

I don't think it's Bursitis. I think you have This!

Pretty sure that's what I had when I diagnosed myself. lol. It took two months for me to lift my arm higher than my waist. I didn't see a doctor, just read as much as I could.

This ailment is getting more common. When I got my COVID vaccines, I told each person about my previous shoulder injury due to a flu shot and to lower that darn needle! They thought it was funny and actually lowered the injection site.

I also don't think pharmacists and their staff should be giving shots. But that's another story. And I adore my pharmacist, she may have saved my life a few weeks ago. :)

The site for deltoid IM injections, including vaccinations, has NOT changed.

They should be given in the thickest part, the middle, of the deltoid muscle - as indicated by the green circle in the picture above.

The common error of giving the injection too high or too low increases the risk of injury to surrounding structures.

I'm tempted to draw a circle on my arm when I go for my booster.

LOL at drawing a circle!

Whatever my shoulder/arm problem is, I can at least move my forearm a little without pain today, so I'm thrilled.

Nothing wrong with drawing a circle. For surgery we (or the patient) marks "this side," and "NOT this side" with a marker.

mdln, thank you for the posting the info regarding the proper injection site. My second shot back in March was given too high and caused pain for weeks. Having read your info, I was prepared if needed, to help guide the booster to the right spot. Luckily didn't have to.

mdln, I remember reading several years ago about a head surgeon doing a patient’s knee replacement on the wrong knee, so the hospital instituted the rule of writing on the patient to indicate the correct knee. Then, even with the correct knee marked, he again did a knee replacement on a patient’s wrong knee. I can’t phathom how that kind of mistake would even be possible. ugh.

I am very happy to say that my shoulder problem is much improved!!! Not normal yet, but I can function. I won’t be rushing for any other injections soon though, and when the time comes I will definitely be drawing dotted lines, triangles, and circles on myself. lol!

Oh my gosh. You know, I have been thinking of this ever since this past March when I was getting the vaccinations. My left ankle swelled up - larger than usual. Then I began having MUCH more pain in it, so much I could barely walk on it some days. I used Aspercreme and Tylenol.

Finally I made an appt. with my doctor who looked at it and said, "That ankle looks almost deformed". "Do you think this could have been caused by the vaccination shots?" He said no.

He suggested a cyst behind it. Referred me to a foot and ankle clinic. That doctor though perhaps a cyst also, spoke about needles to drain and maybe surgery. I waited. Some weeks later, made another appt. at the clinic and was seen by a different foot and ankle doctor and he took xrays and pronounced very bad arthritis.

Now I see on the right side of this page, a photo of a man with "elbow bursitis" - that bump! That's what my ankle looks like. One more thing, yesterday while waiting in my car in a parking lot for a store to open, I see a lady hobbling across the lot just like I do! I almost ran (well, try to) after her to ask if she had been vaccinated!

I don't see the connection between your swollen ankle and the V. The shot goes in the shoulder, just below the shoulder bursa.

But the vaccine itself may have caused bursitis to flare up in my ankle? That was my thought. Why would a needle cause bursitis in a shoulder? Maybe because it hit the muscle, is that what you are saying? I'm not familiar with bursitis and what causes it.