We receive many questions about SIRVA injuries. One of the most common is: does SIRVA go away? Another, is SIRVA permanent? These questions and more are answered below.
What is a SIRVA or shoulder injury related to vaccination?
Shoulder injuries related to where the vaccine was placed in the upper arm are the most common vaccine injuries. The injury is called SIRVA or shoulder injury as a result of vaccine administration or vaccine injection. SIRVA injury can be devastating. If you landed on this page, chances are that you or someone you love is suffering from intense shoulder pain, something much more than arm soreness, after being injected with a vaccine like a flu shot. The intense pain from an improperly administered vaccine can devastate your life and leave you without a job or even lift your children (or grandchildren) to hug them. But there is hope and Sadaka Law can help get back what was taken from you through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was set up by Congress to provide people with compensation for injuries related to vaccine administration. Vaccine injuries are very complex and you need an experienced vaccine injury lawyer like Sadaka Law to help you get the compensation you need to get back to the way you were. The VICP was started primarily to compensate children injured by vaccines. Now, nearly half of the compensable cases of vaccine injury in front of the vaccine court result from a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration, like from the flu vaccine.
Many people have some sort of shoulder pain after a vaccine injection. When not given in the shoulder joint, the initial shoulder pain goes away after a few hours to days. However, when there is serious pain after injection and the severe pain does not go away then it was likely injected too high into the shoulder joint. While a shoulder injury related to a vaccine is called a SIRVA, doctors will usually give a diagnosis of frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), shoulder bursitis, or impingement syndrome. The debilitating shoulder pain is often caused by direct injection of the vaccine into the shoulder capsule. This happens when the vaccine is given too high in the shoulder. This causes an inflammatory response that often results in a frozen shoulder. There could also be nerve inflammation, but that is usually a sign of another condition called brachial neuritis.
Tell us your story. We are here to help.
Vaccine-related shoulder injury causes intense shoulder pain. An experienced vaccine injury lawyer like Sadaka Law can help you find closure and the help you need to get back to where you were.
How do you get SIRVA?
A shoulder injury related to vaccine administration usually occurs when the shot is given too high in the arm. Shoulder pain is not caused by an allergic reaction or an adverse response to the vaccine components like many other vaccine injuries. Instead, SIRVA happens because the injection was given too high into the upper arm causing shoulder bursitis that could lead to frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis. SIRVA can also be caused when the vaccine is improperly administered when the technician either injects the needle too deep into the shoulder or uses a needle that is too long. The injection will then cause inflammation and shoulder bursitis leading to frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis. This type of shoulder injury can cause chronic pain and, sometimes, injure the radial nerves.
Why are there more SIRVA injuries today?
There are two reasons why more people are suffering from this type of vaccine-related should injury. First, the number of people getting the flu shot has increased. Now, roughly half the population will receive an influenza vaccine. The second reason there are more vaccine-related shoulder injuries is the training of the staff administering the vaccines. Gone are the days when vaccines are only given in a doctor’s office by highly trained nurses. Now, you can get a flu shot practically anywhere, including at pharmacies and drive-in clinics. Some people who are administering flu shots may not be fully trained or in a rush to get to the next patient. Because of these two factors, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration classified as SIRVA (frozen shoulder, bursitis, and injuries to the shoulder area). In addition, since SIRVA sufferers can file a claim for compensation with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, more people are reporting their shoulder injuries.
What are SIRVA symptoms?
Symptoms of SIRVA (shoulder injury related to vaccination) usually start with intense pain. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, but if you have pain after receiving a flu shot or any vaccine that limits your range of motion then you need to seek medical attention immediately. The shoulder pain can also de described as a dull ache deep in the shoulder that can disturb sleep. Rotator cuff injuries, including rotator cuff tears, are known to occur with a SIRVA. In addition to the above, rotator cuff involvement in a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration there will be arm weakness. The shoulder joint is an extremely delicate place, which makes SIRVA symptoms severe and debilitating. Nearly all cases of SIRVA will start to present symptoms of severe pain within the first 24 hours after injection, however, there are reported cases of the injury occurring a few days or weeks after vaccine administration. Most of the injuries are in the left shoulder because it is standard practice to inject the non-dominant arm. When the pain does not go away within the first few days after rest and pain medication, you will know that you likely have symptoms of SIRVA. Shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) is just one of several shoulder injuries related to vaccine Other conditions include brachial neuritis and even blood clots / deep vein thrombosis. The difference between symptoms of SIRVA and brachial neuritis are many, but usually, brachial neuritis symptoms start with shoulder pain and end with severe shoulder weakness.
What to do if you experience shoulder pain after a vaccine?
The first thing that you should do is see your primary care physician, an orthopedist, or orthopedic surgeon experienced in shoulder injuries, including rotator cuff injuries. SIRVA treatment includes steroid injections, physical therapy, or shoulder release surgery in severe cases. At home, SIRVA treatment includes limiting your shoulder movement along with taking over-the-counter pain medications. Once you start physical therapy, your physical therapist will give you exercises to start increasing your strength and range of motion. SIRVA injury can take a long time to heal and it requires not only a good doctor, but also your ability to do the exercises to help yourself. Remember, SIRVA injury does not require surgery unless it does not improve after steroid injections, physical therapy, and time. You need all three if you want to avoid surgery.
How long does shoulder joint inflammation last?
SIRVA treatment can work, but it requires commitment, time, and rest. Medical science does not fully understand SIRVA injuries like frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis. Women are more likely than men to get frozen shoulder and it involves severe inflammation near the shoulder capsule that causes pain and loss of range of motion. There are three phases of frozen shoulder, freezing, frozen, and thawing and some reports say it can take years to get through the condition.
Does SIRVA go away? Is SIRVA permanent?
MAYBE. SIRVA treatment includes steroid injections, physical therapy, time, and surgery in severe cases. There are a variety of different ways to treat SIRVA, although a full recovery is not a guarantee. In a best-case scenario, SIRVA treatment can be just some simple rest. However, most cases of SIRVA injury are more complex than that. Some intense physical therapy can reduce shoulder pain and help you regain the range of motion in your arm. Steroid injections also help reduce shoulder pain and inflammation. However, some cases of SIRVA may be permanent and can lead to a permanent loss of full range of motion. Dig a little deeper on SIRVA
So I have SIRVA, what happens next?
Once you have seen a physician and were diagnosed with SIRVA (shoulder bursitis, frozen shoulder, adhesive capsulitis, etc), you need to document the extent of your injuries and the damages that you have suffered from them. You should seek out an experienced vaccine injury attorney who can tell you what your legal options are. Symptoms of SIRVA are debilitating and SIRVA treatment can be expensive because of high insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. SIRVA is a recognized injury from vaccinations like the flu shot by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Our vaccine injury lawyers at Sadaka Law can help you file a claim with the VICP. This fund exists to pay people who have suffered injuries from vaccinations like you.
Is SIRVA Recognized as a Compensable Injury?
YES. The Secretary of Health and Human Services recognizes SIRVA injury on the vaccine injury table. SIRVA was added to the list, which includes brachial neuritis and the blood illness called ITP, after the huge number of injury reports made to VAERS. VAERS stands for Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and helps the FDA and CDC spot potential safety risks of vaccination. As soon as SIRVA was recognized as an injury related to vaccine, there have been thousands (1000s) of filings for compensation with the VICP, and it is now one of the most common compensable injuries. The VICP was set up for children and now most of the claimants are adults.
How much can I potentially receive for Shoulder Injury as a Result of Vaccine Administration?
The general range of compensation in SIRVA cases is between $20,000 and $160,000. Most awards are between roughly $80,000 and $110,000. Sadaka Law has settled a SIRVA injury for over $650,000.00.
