### What Is SIRVA?
SIRVA, or Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration, manifests as shoulder pain and limited range of motion occurring as a result of the administration of a vaccine injection. While some degree of pain may be expected from any shoulder injection, the improper administration of a vaccine can cause severe, often debilitating, pain, which can lead to complications. Pain lasting longer than a few days is not associated with the normal side effects of receiving a vaccination. Our licensed vaccine shoulder injury lawyers have been representing vaccine-injured clients nationwide for the last decade.
SIRVA is the most common vaccine injury, with thousands of injuries being reported each year.
### What Are the Most Common SIRVA Diagnoses?
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program recognizes a causal connection between vaccines and SIRVA.
The most common diagnoses associated with SIRVA are brachial plexus, torn rotator cuff, frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis, shoulder bursitis, shoulder tendinitis, ulnar neuropathy and shoulder impingement syndrome.
### What Causes SIRVA?
The relevant medical and scientific literature suggests that SIRVA is due to an inflammatory effect from vaccine administration into the subdeltoid bursa. This inflammatory response may be due either to the antigenic or nonantigenic components of the vaccine (antimicrobial, preservative, etc). They based these assumptions on the consistent presentations of adhesive capsulitis (as demonstrated by the patient’s pain, lack of motion, weakness, and impaired mobility/functionality) and multiple noted pathologies on imaging, more than would be expected by the trauma of vaccination.
Approximately 70% of cases are flu shot shoulder injuries which are most commonly administered to adults. It is thought that the flu shot is the most common cause of SIRVA injuries simply due to the sheer volume of flu shots administered to the general public year after year. It is important to note that any vaccine that is administered improperly can cause a SIRVA injury.
Recent scientific studies on the topic, including Bodor and Montalvo in 2006, and Atanasoff in 2010 and Barnes in 2012, hypothesized that weakness and pain in the shoulder following influenza and other vaccinations were administered too high in the deltoid muscle. In order to avoid SIRVA, they concluded that the upper third of the deltoid or shoulder muscle should not be used for vaccine injections.
### Are you suffering from SIRVA? Find out if you qualify for compensation
If you have been injured by a vaccine, our licensed vaccine injury attorney David Carney can review your case for free and see if your injury qualifies for compensation. Request a callback below by filling in a few details about your case and our vaccine injury team will reach out to you within the hour.
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