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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2021; 56(03): 299-306
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1719086
Revisão Sistemática
Ombro e Cotovelo

Shoulder Injury after Vaccination: A Systematic Review

Article in several languages: português | English
Paul J. Cagle  Jr.
1   Departamento de Cirurgia Ortopédica, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Nova York, Nova York, Estados Unidos
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Abstract

Adverse reactions to vaccine injections are usually mild and incredibly rare in nature, but multiple cases of shoulder events including bursitis, generalized pain or decreased range of motion have been reported following routine vaccine administrations. These events are known as Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration or SIRVA.

A systematic review of literature was performed to identify all published accounts of SIRVA. Twenty-seven papers reporting one or more accounts of SIRVA were identified. The most common vaccination involved was the Influenza vaccine. The most common symptoms were pain that began in 48 hours or less and loss of shoulder range of motion. The most common treatment modalities were physical therapy, corticosteroid injections and anti-inflammatory medication; but in some patients, surgery was required. Regardless of intervention, the vast majority of outcomes demonstrated improved pain and functional except in the occasions of nerve injury.

The etiology of SIRVA injuries has multiple possibilities including needle length, mechanical injury from needle overpenetration and the possibility of an immune inflammatory response from the vaccine components, but a unique definitive test or quantifiably result does not yet exist.

Keywords

bursitis - impingement, shoulder - shoulder pain - influenza vaccines


Publication History

Received: 20 May 2020

Accepted: 16 September 2020

Article published online:
16 December 2020

© 2020. Sociedade Brasileira de Ortopedia e Traumatologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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