Why does the injection site hurt after vaccination and what to do about it?
Miscellaneous / / November 09, 2023
Despite the fact that vaccination is a safe process, it has There is side effects, like any medical procedure. Rarely arise dangerous reactions: anaphylactic shock, persistent itching of the skin, convulsions and paralysis. Most often they are harmless - fever, redness at the injection site and muscle pain. We'll talk about the latter today.
Why does pain occur?
The puncture itself is painful due to tiny damage to the skin, which contains nerve receptors, including pain ones. Injected drop of vaccine stretches tightly compressed muscle fibers and puts pressure on nerve endings, which leads to temporary inflammation and causes pain. Sometimes the nurse or doctor may give the vaccine incorrectly, such as too shallow or too deep, damaging more tissue. This will also cause discomfort. In addition, pain varies from person to person, so some may be more sensitive to injections and experience pain for longer. It is important to add that the causes of pain at the injection site are the same in both adults and children, so do not worry: in the absence of other side effects, this is normal for children.
Why the injection site may hurt longer
If there are unpleasant sensations arose within 48 hours of receiving the vaccine and lasting more than a week is ongoing pain. Rarely, discomfort can remain for years (most cases involve the coronavirus vaccine). However, most often the ongoing pain lasts from a week to several months. Let's figure out why this happens.
Inflammation
Inflammation due to muscle strain is usually passes in 2–3 days. But it happens that the damage is too severe or the muscles cannot recover quickly. This happens when the vaccine is not administered correctly, for example when it is not administered slowly enough or the needle jerks from side to side. Besides, There is data that vaccines with auxiliary components, for example, against flu, cause more severe inflammation, which means your hand may hurt longer. If a person already has There is Some conditions that affect the immune system (for example, diabetes), inflammation may also last longer than usual.
Individual response to pain
Everyone has their own threshold pain sensitivity. It depends on genetic characteristics, physical and even emotional state at the time of vaccination. After intramuscular injection of the vaccine, people with a low pain threshold feel more discomfort, and the discomfort itself lasts longer than usual. Individual reactions are not related to the vaccine itself or the method of administration.
Long-term allergies
For most people, vaccination does not cause allergic reactions, but individual characteristics may play a role. Hypersensitivity to components may provoke not only redness and itching at the injection site, but also prolonged inflammation in the muscle. This harmless but uncomfortable reaction usually goes away within a week.
What to do to relieve pain
Some factors, such as allergies or individual immune responses, cannot be controlled, but there are ways ease pain:
Before vaccination:
- If you know you have pain after the injection, take a pain reliever (such as ibuprofen) two hours before the injection;
- for insertion, choose the hand that you use less, since the dominant hand is under constant tension and healing will take longer;
- Relax your hand before administering the vaccine - for example, shake, unclench your fingers, massage lightly.
After vaccination:
- stretch and rotate your arm slightly to stretch the muscles and prevent a bubble from forming after the vaccine is administered;
- apply ice and compressto relieve inflammation and swelling.
When to ask for help
Pain is a common reaction after vaccination, but if it does not go away within one week, or appeared rash, streaks or swelling, you should see a doctor. In addition, you can help yourself like this:
- contact a massage therapist and ask him to work on the area where it hurts in order to relax the muscle fibers;
- drink non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (for example, ibuprofen);
- continue independent stretching exercises and warming up the injection site.
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