I received a 3 in 1 flu shot on Aug. 21, 2010 at my local Walgreens. I thought the shot was given unusally high up on my arm. It hurt a lot, immediately, and has continued to hurt for 2-1/2 months. I saw my family doctor who suggested Aleve twice a day, and some exercises. When that didn't help she ordered an MRI which showed tendonitis and bursitis. In frustration, I went to an orthopedic doctor for a second opinion. He immediately said the shot was given incorrectly. It was injected into the bursa sac instead of the muscle, and ultimately caused bursitis in my shoulder. He gave me a cortisone shot, and after 2 days my pain has reduced a lot. Not completely gone, but I am hoping it will be eventually. He said I was not the first person he had seen with the same problem
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I too have had on going arm pain since my flu shot almost 2 weeks ago. My whole bicep hurts and the pain shoots down through my arm. I have called the pharmacy twice. They don't seem to know why. I also had a reaction to this flu shot. I have been getting them for 7 years and I haven't had a problem until now. I have felt tired and worn out and just yucky. They said that can happen but the arm pain, they don't know.
October 22, 2014 - 2:21pmThis Comment
Anon - It's good that your doctor took your pain seriously and that you got relief in such a short time. Many others have been struggling for months and some have been in pain for more than a year. Thanks for your comments and sharing your situation. Pat
November 22, 2010 - 4:51pmThis Comment
I had this exact same problem. I received my flu shot at our local Walgreens on Oct. 1st. When she gave me the shot, I thought she was giving it to me higher up on the shoulder than normal, but I didn't say anything- thinking she knows what she's doing. After having shoulder pain for about 6 weeks, I went to my family doctor- he said it was possible the injection was given in my bursa sac. He gave me a prescription for pain relief- and within 2 weeks, the pain was gone. Everyone else thought I was crazy- the pain had to have been from something else- but fortunately I have a family doctor who was very helpful!
November 22, 2010 - 7:54amThis Comment
Anon - Thanks for your comments. Your doctor is absolutely right - we have had hundreds of comments from people with this same problem since 2008. Many of the comments are from people who had said their shots were given too high on the arm. We hope you feel better soon. If you don't you may want to return and read some of the threads on the site from others who've tried various treatments for relief. Good luck to you. Pat
November 12, 2010 - 4:49pmThis Comment