SIRVA - i have it....
Discussion
an FYI more than anything -
So after revealing to me that i never had MMR as a kid - in January i decided to go and get it done.
As the Nurse jammed in the vaccine it was immediatley painful and from what i could see , very deep, and it looked like she was forcing it in
It also didnt help that i think being an elderly nurse she was shaking as she took ages to push it in.
I left with a very sore arm, and took paracetemol for a few days.
a week later i was still very stiff and my usual shoulder gym workouts were canned as i was in a lot of pain.
3 weeks later i had a total lockup of my shoulder while reaching for a plug under the desk - the pain was off the chart and felt like someone had grabbed a tendon and twisted it and kept twisting it even when i brought my shoulder/arm back to my side.
I had continual pain in shoulder, radiating pain to my fingers sometimes to my first 2 fingers, sometimes to my thumb, unbelievable pain when i moved in a certain direction, and constant feeling that i was "straining" a muscle - constantly being woken up at nights and on painkillers all the time.....
just as the lockdown begain i went to see a private chiro , who gave me some exercises and helped relieve some pain with a lot of work, mobility is better but still very resticted and certain movement very painful and nerve pain can still come on at any time.
i was thinking of going to my GP but held off because of COVID and not clogging up the NHS
2 more chiro appointments later (he was still working despite the lockdown, thank god!) and no change, i've remained at the level of , sometimes in a constant pain, sometimes relief, certain motions give me agony.
All lifting or gym work has had to stop!
i'm now considering going to the GP asap after doing some research around this - seems its a more common thing that you imagine :
"if a flu shot isn’t properly administered, it can result in an uncommon, underdiagnosed type of shoulder injury commonly referred to as Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration, or SIRVA. Here, experts explain what SIRVA is, how it feels, and what you (and your doctor) can do to prevent it."
https://www.health.com/cold-flu-sinus/sirva
Daily Mail (yeah i know, but only UK site i've found that mentions this)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3546519...
next on my list is trying to get into the GP and get an ultrasound and getting specific treatment if i can, want to try and avoid and reoccurance and shoulder "freeze".
Hi Bluedeer
Since April 2020 mine has finally cleared up , although it took a while - the physio did nothing and i paid for a private consult for a muscle specialist , who understood the issue, explained the nerve pain wasnt much he could do about and hoped it would clear up on its own and gave me different exercises to do , i was quite sceptical - but they did start to work - about 2 months ago i was actually pretty much pain free and able to get back into the gym (well, home gym) and enjoy working out again without worry.
the exercises given were pretty low key i thought - using the frame of a door i was told to L shape my problem arm, tense the arm and push against the frame with the outside of your arm, then do the same again with the inside of our arm , then put your back towards the frame and push against the frame with the elbow and push forward against the frame with your first on the opposite side - did these about 5 times a day, 10 mins a time - i thought nothing would happen but things started to "release" and the more bigger muscle pains went away and the nerve pains actually began to decrease....until as i said above, it became pretty much normal again....
finally after a trillion weeks and cancellations i got an ultrasound after the shoulder was pretty much ok , and got a similar diagnosis to you, but i am 47 and plenty of activity with the shoulder from mountain biking and skiing etc - so wear and tear was pretty much a given.....ultrasound recommended nothing actually wrong.
Since April 2020 mine has finally cleared up , although it took a while - the physio did nothing and i paid for a private consult for a muscle specialist , who understood the issue, explained the nerve pain wasnt much he could do about and hoped it would clear up on its own and gave me different exercises to do , i was quite sceptical - but they did start to work - about 2 months ago i was actually pretty much pain free and able to get back into the gym (well, home gym) and enjoy working out again without worry.
the exercises given were pretty low key i thought - using the frame of a door i was told to L shape my problem arm, tense the arm and push against the frame with the outside of your arm, then do the same again with the inside of our arm , then put your back towards the frame and push against the frame with the elbow and push forward against the frame with your first on the opposite side - did these about 5 times a day, 10 mins a time - i thought nothing would happen but things started to "release" and the more bigger muscle pains went away and the nerve pains actually began to decrease....until as i said above, it became pretty much normal again....
finally after a trillion weeks and cancellations i got an ultrasound after the shoulder was pretty much ok , and got a similar diagnosis to you, but i am 47 and plenty of activity with the shoulder from mountain biking and skiing etc - so wear and tear was pretty much a given.....ultrasound recommended nothing actually wrong.
your story above, is similar to my own when i started this post, including the neck pain too
do the door-frame shoulder exercises (isometric exercises) i think i put them above, (or just google them) dont go for power, its not doing it more powerfully that helps - i was told its all about the complex fibres and nerves in that area and trying to release the circle of pain-inflammation-damage-pain - so more often is better - i was up to 3 times a day doing the set, and the shoulder came on really well...
.... as the original thread starter and also giving my experiences as the thread has gone along - i'm glad people have found this on here and now there are other outlets for them to come together and discuss this issue - of course I'd wish no-one ever suffered this, but as long as its here, having the ability to discuss and show the medical professionals we trust with our care, that its a serious and debilitating issue and we need action, hopefully will bring its awareness to the fore and some change in attitudes and treatment.
motco said:
It's not only shoulders that can be damaged. A family member has to have intramuscular injections in the buttocks on a regular basis. This person is very slim indeed and has little thickness in this area which opens up the possibility of damage to structures deeper in the tissues of the buttocks. The injection is provided in pre-filled syringes and should be delivered to the "upper, outer quadrant of the buttock". This is, of course, a pretty vague instruction but if it is followed approximately then no vital tissues nor structures are vulnerable in that area. Usually...
In the case of a very slim person, compared with the modern average, the thickness of the flesh is very variable. This, together with poorly understood training and lack of common sense on behalf of some staff members given the job of administering this injection, leads to an unacceptably high risk of nerve injury (sciatic nerve I believe) if the needle is thrust in to its full length (as is intended) in this wrong area. This family member has had two occasions where untoward effects have resulted from the injections. One was enduring pain in the muscle of the area over a period of three weeks, and on another visit loss of power in both legs causing instant collapse to the floor lasting half an hour. The nurses are now asked by the patient to pinch the flesh up into a ridge where the needle is inserted and to keep it pinched for the duration of presence of the needle. This artificially adds thickness to the area thereby preventing the needle from penetrating too deeply. The full needle length is expected to be used and this, if correctly sited, causes little distress. But an over-long needle coupled with poor aiming has caused my family member serious pain and discomfort.
funny you should mention that MOTTO - my endocrinologist is suggest this for my testosterone therapy , and after my SIRVA incident I am reluctant to have this done!In the case of a very slim person, compared with the modern average, the thickness of the flesh is very variable. This, together with poorly understood training and lack of common sense on behalf of some staff members given the job of administering this injection, leads to an unacceptably high risk of nerve injury (sciatic nerve I believe) if the needle is thrust in to its full length (as is intended) in this wrong area. This family member has had two occasions where untoward effects have resulted from the injections. One was enduring pain in the muscle of the area over a period of three weeks, and on another visit loss of power in both legs causing instant collapse to the floor lasting half an hour. The nurses are now asked by the patient to pinch the flesh up into a ridge where the needle is inserted and to keep it pinched for the duration of presence of the needle. This artificially adds thickness to the area thereby preventing the needle from penetrating too deeply. The full needle length is expected to be used and this, if correctly sited, causes little distress. But an over-long needle coupled with poor aiming has caused my family member serious pain and discomfort.
Bluedeer said:
Hi everyone,
I sustained SIRVA in December 2019 and it took six months to recover and use my arm normally. But even now in 2022 I still get niggly irritation in that shoulder when I perform certain movements.
There's a HUGE amount of people being affected by this and it must stop happening.
I've started a sirva petition. I submitted a post here a few weeks ago to tell you all about it and how you can access it but Pistonheads removed my comment and wouldn't allow me to publicise it. So I'm just letting you know that it's out there. But I also wanted to update you on my my sirva injury and recovery journey.
Anyone who's currently suffering, please keep seeking help in the way of ultrasound or MRI to get a formal diagnosis, and physio for rehabilitation. Some sirva injuries may require an injection (oh, the irony) or even surgery in extreme cases. It's dependent on what part of your shoulder anatomy has been hit - shoulder capsule, bursa, nerves or even bone.
Don't lose hope, report the negligence (which is what SIRVA is) and let other people know about it. I just so happened to mention it to someone I know vaguely and he instantly told me that his wife AND his friend are both suffering from pain and mobility issues after receiving vaccines. He'd never heard of SIRVA and was anxious to write down any info that I could give him.
All the best!
Great - well done - there is now a large facebook community and group based of this original thread and its pretty active.I sustained SIRVA in December 2019 and it took six months to recover and use my arm normally. But even now in 2022 I still get niggly irritation in that shoulder when I perform certain movements.
There's a HUGE amount of people being affected by this and it must stop happening.
I've started a sirva petition. I submitted a post here a few weeks ago to tell you all about it and how you can access it but Pistonheads removed my comment and wouldn't allow me to publicise it. So I'm just letting you know that it's out there. But I also wanted to update you on my my sirva injury and recovery journey.
Anyone who's currently suffering, please keep seeking help in the way of ultrasound or MRI to get a formal diagnosis, and physio for rehabilitation. Some sirva injuries may require an injection (oh, the irony) or even surgery in extreme cases. It's dependent on what part of your shoulder anatomy has been hit - shoulder capsule, bursa, nerves or even bone.
Don't lose hope, report the negligence (which is what SIRVA is) and let other people know about it. I just so happened to mention it to someone I know vaguely and he instantly told me that his wife AND his friend are both suffering from pain and mobility issues after receiving vaccines. He'd never heard of SIRVA and was anxious to write down any info that I could give him.
All the best!
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