Pain after vaccination in the child
Pain after a vaccination usually occurs in children above the injection site. Often, redness and swelling in this area occur simultaneously. The pain appears after two to three days and disappears just as quickly on its own.
Such pain should not be considered a vaccination complication, but rather a natural reaction to the vaccination. The child’s immune system is presented with a vaccine and begins to work against it in order to produce suitable antibodies for protection. This can then lead to a local reaction at the injection site.
In some cases, a general reaction of the body against the vaccine occurs in addition to the local reaction. The children can then complain of headaches and aching limbs. In addition, there is usually a general feeling of discomfort and a slight rise in temperature.
Since small children in particular are not yet able to localize pain properly, children usually complain of abdominal pain. This can also occur after a vaccination. If the lymph nodes in the stomach swell up as an immune reaction, this can also cause abdominal pain.
The pain that occurs in the course of a vaccination is all considered harmless and disappears after a short time on its own. It is important to keep the pain as low as possible when vaccinating children. Many strategies have been developed by pediatricians to keep the stress for the child during vaccination as low as possible. You can find more information on our main page: Vaccination
Pain in the arm/ shoulder area
Starting from the 18th month of life children are usually vaccinated in the upper arm as well as adults. The inoculated muscle (Musculus deltoideus) can cause pain for a few days after the vaccination. This is due both to the body’s immune response to the vaccine and to adjuvants possibly added to the vaccine, which are intended to strengthen the immune response but at the same time have an irritant effect on the tissue.
For a few days, it may therefore be painful to perform movements with the arm. Lifting the arm or applying pressure to the injection site is particularly painful. The arm should therefore be subjected to as little stress as possible during this time. The puncture site can be cooled to relieve the pain.
