Are You Experiencing Pain After a Flu Shot? Possible Causes for Pain after Vaccination

By leahdurantlaw on July 17, 2016 • ( 0 )

The flu shot. Nearly half of all Americans get one every year. This makes the flu shot more popular than both Twitter and Instagram, though it has not quite reached the ranks of Facebook and Smartphones (71 percent of adults and 68 percent of all Americans, respectively.)

Two of the main reasons for the flu shot’s widespread use in the United States are:

Effectiveness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, the flu shot is capable of reducing the risk of contacting the flu by nearly 60 percent.
Limited risks. The CDC also reports that the current U.S. vaccine supply is the safest in history, and that the risks of getting vaccinated are far surpassed by the risks of falling ill with the flu.

Despite the safety and effectiveness of the flu vaccine, however, this does not mean the flu shot is completely free of risk. In fact, for a small percentage of people, getting vaccinated against the flu can lead to serious side effects. In some cases, flu vaccine recipients can experience life-changing injuries.

Pain Following Flu Vaccination

If you or someone you love is experiencing pain following a flu vaccination, there a number of different culprits that could be the cause. For starters, soreness at the injection site is common, and is often nothing more than a simple reaction to receiving an injection. For many people, this soreness quickly resolves, and these individuals are able to continue with little to no side effects following their vaccination.

Sometimes, however, pain following vaccination is a sign of a serious injury or other medical condition. If you or a loved one experiences severe pain, chronic pain, or pain coupled with any of the following types of symptoms, it is important to seek prompt medical attention:

Difficulty moving your eyes or mouth
Difficulty swallowing
Lack of balance or difficulty walking
Limited arm or shoulder mobility
Lower back pain
Muscle weakness
Pain that radiates through the arm or shoulder
Tingling sensations in your fingers or toes

These could all be early signs of a serious vaccine injury, including a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) or Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Seeking Compensation for Flu Shot Injuries

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with SIRVA, GBS, or any other injury resulting from a flu shot, you could be entitled to financial compensation under the federal government’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) exists to provide financial compensation to individuals living with vaccine injuries. Under the VICP, individuals harmed by vaccines can recover money for their medical bills, pain and suffering, and other losses without the time and expense of filing a traditional lawsuit against a hospital or vaccine manufacturer. The VICP has compensated many of individuals with vaccine injuries, and if you are experiencing pain after a flu shot, it is critical to understand and exercise your rights under the VICP.

Contact the Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC to Discuss Your Flu Vaccine Injury

At Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC, we represent clients in claims for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. To learn more about your rights and how you can receive no-cost legal representation, call (202) 800-1711 or contact us online today.