Pain in upper arm after vaccination
Within the first few days after vaccination, redness, swelling or pain may occur at the vaccination site. Since the vaccination is usually injected into the upper arm, the pain then occurs at this point. The pain is partly caused by the injection itself and partly by the local reaction of the immune system.
In this local reaction, the immune system reacts to the vaccine presented to it with a specific defense formation. Due to the swelling and redness, pain in the upper arm can also occur after the vaccination. However, these will disappear by themselves after a few days.
During this time, the arm can be spared from heavy physical exertion. In some cases, even simple cooling can help. If the pain is very severe, pain-relieving medication such as ibuprofen or paracetamol can also be used.
Pain after different vaccinations
The tetanus vaccination causes more pain than other vaccinations. Vaccinated persons often complain of pain in the inoculated arm, redness and swelling of the injection site as well as tiredness and exhaustion. The local reactions after a tetanus vaccination are due to the aluminium-containing adjuvant added to the vaccine.
Adjuvants are substances that are added to vaccines to enhance the body’s immune response to the vaccine.However, these substances also cause local irritation of the tissue, which explains the pain following the vaccination. These additives are not contained in live vaccines, as they would impair the effectiveness of the live vaccine. However, since the tetanus vaccine is a dead vaccine and the adjuvants are added as potentiators, this vaccination is often experienced as more painful than other vaccines.
Nevertheless, the pain after a tetanus vaccination usually does not last longer than a few days and improves by itself. The flu vaccination, like many other vaccinations, is one of the well-tolerated vaccinations. Serious side effects occur only very rarely.
Nevertheless, a local reaction at the injection site cannot be ruled out even when vaccinating against influenza. In addition to redness and swelling, pain can also occur here. Furthermore, generalized reactions of the body to the vaccination are possible.
These include a feeling of exhaustion, tiredness and also muscle or limb pain as with an emerging infection. Cooling of the affected area can help against the local pain caused by the flu vaccination. If headache, muscle pain or aching limbs occur, it is recommended to take it easy on the body until it subsides.
Pain after a pneumococcal vaccination is one of the more frequent vaccination reactions. They occur particularly directly around the injection site, combined with redness and swelling of the area. This temporary reaction usually disappears completely after one to three days.
More rarely, generalized muscle pain occurs; then often in combination with other symptoms such as fever, gastrointestinal complaints or drowsiness. These symptoms also usually last only a few days. The vaccination against typhoid fever is available in two different forms.
Besides the injection into a muscle, an oral vaccination is also possible. When injected, pain around the injection site is one of the most common side effects. These disappear completely after one or a few days.
In the case of the oral vaccination, general symptoms occur more frequently than with the injection. There may be pain in the gastrointestinal tract, combined with diarrhoea or nausea. In addition, both types of vaccination can trigger generalized pain in the limbs.
These symptoms also usually disappear after a few days. As with almost every vaccination, local pain, redness and swelling may occur after meningococcal vaccination. This harmless vaccination reaction disappears again after a short time.
Generalized symptoms can also occur. Headaches can be one of the symptoms. A temporary stiff neck is very rarely described.
In this case a doctor should be consulted again and a report of the previous vaccination should be given. Pain in the gastrointestinal tract may also occur; often in combination with nausea or diarrhoea. Pain may also occur in the arms and legs.
In this case, pain in the joints as well as in the muscles or limbs, as in the case of an emerging infection, is reported. As with any vaccination, the TBE vaccination against early summer menigno-encephalitis can cause irritation at the injection site of the vaccination. The most common complaints are then an unpleasant feeling of tension with swelling and sensations ranging from tingling to pain.
The pain disappears as quickly as it came within a few days and is no cause for concern. In risk areas, however, TBE vaccination should not be avoided. One of the most frequent undesirable side effects that occur after a vaccination against pneumonia (the so-called pneumococcal vaccination) is, as with almost all vaccinations, the local reaction at the injection site.
Accordingly, pain can also occur at the injection site. Abdominal pain can also occur in the context of gastrointestinal complaints such as diarrhoea and vomiting. After a vaccination against pneumonia, some people also feel flabby and complain of headaches and aching limbs.
All these forms of pain can be seen as a non-specific reaction of the body to the vaccine. There is no specific connection between pain or more pain than after other vaccinations and a vaccination against pneumonia. Since pneumonia is a serious disease, these possible and fleeting pains of a pneumococcal vaccination should be accepted.
With the vaccination against cervical cancer, the so-called HPV vaccination against certain human papilloma viruses, there can be a local reaction of the immune system at the injection site of the syringe, as with other vaccinations.In addition to redness and swelling, this may also cause pain in this area. So far, however, no serious side effects of the vaccination against cervical cancer have been found. All girls between the ages of 9 and 14 should therefore receive an HPV vaccination against cervical cancer according to the recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission.
As with all vaccinations, the vaccination against hepatitis A or B may cause pain or discomfort over the vaccination site. However, serious complications are not to be expected. Since hepatitis B is a serious disease, protection should be ensured despite any pain after vaccination (which lasts only a short time).
For persons at risk, the same applies to hepatitis A. These articles may also be of interest to you:
- Vaccination against hepatitis A
- Vaccination against hepatitis B and
- Twinrix®
Since rotaviruses are one of the most frequent diarrhoea pathogens in childhood, the Standing Vaccination Commission recommends oral vaccination already in infancy. Since the vaccination against rotaviruses is therefore taken orally, there is no pain from the injection of a syringe.
The oral vaccination is very well tolerated. In some cases, however, there is abdominal pain due to diarrhoea or vomiting. The extent of the pain is, however, out of all proportion to a real rotavirus infection.
It also determines a slightly increased risk of an invagination of the intestine (intussusception), which causes severe abdominal pain. The probability increases with increasing months of life and should therefore be administered early from the 6th week of life. Children who are prone to intestinal invaginations from the outset should, however, refrain from an oral vaccination against rotaviruses. However, the oral vaccination is generally considered harmless.
