Your arm hurts from the flu shot: what to do about it?

A sore arm from a flu shot is a fairly common problem that every person who decides to get vaccinated against this dangerous viral disease may encounter. Despite the risks of developing complications (most of which are minor), you should not refuse vaccinations, because the consequences of influenza infection can be much more serious, and complications that develop afterward can even be fatal.

Causes of pain

To understand why your hand hurts after getting a flu shot, you should first clarify what the process of vaccination against this virus is. Influenza is a viral disease that causes the death of tens of thousands of people every year.

A timely vaccination will not necessarily protect a person from infection, but it can reduce the duration and severity of the disease, as well as reduce the risk of developing dangerous complications. Each vaccine is a means that allows the body to become familiar with the pathogen, create an immune response, and learn how to fight infection.

There are two types of flu vaccination:

Live , containing microorganisms of a living species, but weakened and not capable of seriously harming the body. It will not provoke the development of the disease, but will contribute to the formation of immunity against influenza. Side effects more often develop in response to such vaccination.
Inactivated , containing killed pathogens. It is safer, however, the immunity from its use is not as strong as from the previous variety.

Severe arm pain after COVID-19 vaccination

Severe pain in the arm and redness at the site of the coronavirus vaccination indicate the active development of immunity, he spoke about this on Radio 1.

Chief medical doctor, pediatrician, vaccinologist, infectious disease specialist
Evgeniy Timakov
.

“ Pain in the arm is a local reaction from the development of immunity. In fact, the more the hand hurts and even if this place turns red, the stronger long-term immunity with memory cells will be formed - the so-called T-cell response,” Timakov said.

He explained the connection between inflammation at the injection site and the formation of an immune response.

“The drug contains buffer solutions that prevent the vaccine from immediately spreading throughout the body and preserve it to a limited extent at the injection site. Our cells that develop immunity come to this injection site and “get acquainted” with the vaccine when it is introduced. If we are talking about Sputnik V, then it is introduced into cells, where it produces the virus protein. After this, the cell is “eaten”, the body breaks down the components of the virus located there and forms immunity. Thus, a local inflammatory reaction occurs. The stronger it is, the stronger immunity will be developed for the future. Therefore, pain and redness at the injection site are a normal reaction,” the doctor emphasized.

Other ailments caused by the vaccine also signal the development of immunity: muscle pain, fever, flu-like symptoms, noted Evgeniy Timakov. However, there are a number of symptoms that indicate that “something has gone wrong.”

“You should be wary of the appearance of an allergic reaction. If after vaccination you have a sore throat, sneezing, or watery eyes, do not leave the clinic. In general, you should remain under the supervision of a doctor for half an hour after vaccination. Also an alarming sign is a hyperthermic reaction: when the temperature is 39-40 degrees and does not decrease, the question arises whether it is worth getting a second vaccination with the same vaccine. A local reaction expressed by more than 8 centimeters also requires further consideration of the second vaccination - is it worth giving with the same vaccine? Because, it turns out, there was a hyperimmune response, so one vaccination should be enough to develop immunity,” Timakov said.

He said that for most people, the reaction to the vaccine goes away within 1-2 days, while some symptoms, such as arm pain, can last up to a week. But if symptoms persist for more than a week, you should consult a doctor.

Evgeniy Timakov added that the absence of illnesses after vaccination does not mean that immunity is not being formed. And it is too early to draw any conclusions about the strength of the protection received: there are no studies yet studying the dependence of the duration of immunity on the intensity of the reaction to the vaccine.

Photo © istockphoto.com

Original article on radio1.news

How dangerous is the flu?

The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets, in addition, through touching the same objects, while talking, coughing, sneezing.
A person can be contagious even before flu symptoms become visible to others and to him or her. The incubation period lasts for two days, throughout this period a person can infect others.
Influenza is a virus that has the ability to actively change, so it is very difficult to gain immunity against this disease. A person can get sick with one strain and, a little later, catch another.
The virus enters the body through the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth, after which it immediately descends down the respiratory tract. At this point, the army of pathogens numbers thousands of agents.
In order for the flu vaccine to have the desired effect on the body, the vaccine must be given in September - October. There is no point in getting vaccinated in January; immunity simply will not have time to develop.
The disease is dangerous due to the rapid development of complications (pneumonia, otitis media, sinusitis, bronchitis, meningitis).
Late initiation of treatment has minimal effect, provoking the transition of a viral infection to a bacterial one.

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The arm may well hurt after a person has been vaccinated. In general, split vaccines do not often produce this type of reaction. Usually people who have an overly impressionable nature suffer from this effect.

What affects pain in the arm: complications, local reaction to the vaccine? There may be several reasons for the occurrence of such a reaction:

individual allergic reaction of a person to the components introduced to him. The patient may experience not only areas at the vaccination site, but an increase in normal body temperature, the appearance of a rash accompanied by itching, anaphylactic shock and even angioedema. This is why the flu vaccine is prohibited for people with chicken protein intolerance;
an incorrectly made injection, when the needle penetrates into soft tissue, can injure large vessels, the vein cavity, all this leads to the development of a hematoma on the surface of the skin, accompanied by unpleasant and painful sensations. If a medical professional uses a low-quality needle with a blunt tip, this can provoke the formation of a blood clot and the development of thrombophlebitis;
when a nerve is damaged during an injection, neuritis may develop and the mobility of the limb may be impaired;
unpleasant sensations can be caused by the use of a low-quality syringe, the needle of which injures soft tissues, damaging their integrity;
an abscess may develop - this is a process of tissue inflammation, with an increase in thermometer readings, general weakness, and the formation of an abscess with pus inside. This occurs due to the penetration of bacteria (streptococci, staphylococci) into the injection site; the cause of this condition may be the lack of an aseptic dressing after vaccination, or the use of an unsterilized (disposable) instrument.

Vaccination requires a person to pay increased attention to their own health: they need to take care of the injection site, do not expose it to overheating or cooling, or friction with synthetic fabrics. You should not wet or scratch the injection site for the first day. In addition, immediately after vaccination you should not visit places where there are many people and drink alcoholic beverages.

Allergy after vaccination

The flu shot site is red, what to do in such a situation, is this a cause for concern? Before clarifying these issues, it is important to understand what a vaccine is.

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A vaccine is an immunologically active agent that provokes certain changes in the coordinated functioning of all body systems. They can manifest themselves in:

formation of immunity to infectious effects;
the development of unpleasant manifestations, both at the vaccination site and, in general, from the body.

Adverse reactions that often develop after vaccination can be of two types:

Local: manifested as changes in the surface of the skin where the injection was given. This may include pain, redness, rashes, swelling, itching, and the appearance of hives.
General: when a person complains of a deterioration in his own health. Such reactions manifest themselves in the form of weakness, increased fatigue, increased body temperature, runny nose, sore throat, loss of appetite.

Experts distinguish two concepts: adverse reactions after an injection and complications that develop after vaccination. The latter are characterized by a high degree of severity, while side effects are more reminiscent of a common allergy, which does not pose any danger to human health.

Complications after vaccination include:

a sharp drop in blood pressure;
anaphylactic shock;
development of neurological disorders;
encephalitis.

Complications after vaccinations are extremely rare; they indicate a strong allergic reaction of the body to the components of the vaccine, the presence of contraindications to this procedure in a person, which were not taken into account in a timely manner.

Complications of local significance may have the following symptoms:

the injection site is red and itchy;
swelling is clearly visible on the shoulder;
a compaction appears around the injection, the diameter of which does not exceed 3 cm;
Purulent discharge may be observed, indicating non-compliance with the rules of asepsis and antisepsis during drug administration.

When such reactions occur in a child and cause him great anxiety, it is better to call a doctor. Adult patients usually do not worry about such phenomena, especially since they go away on their own after one or two days.

What to do if your hand starts to hurt

If your hand oozes after a flu shot, what should you do?

Apply Dimexide solution mixed with alcohol to the site of pain.
Apply Heparin ointment.
Apply Vishnevsky's balsamic liniment in a thick layer, covering it with a sterile bandage.
Severe cases require the use of ointments for healing (for example, Traumeel), decongestants (Troxerutin, Menovazin).
You can take medications based on paracetamol and ibuprofen to relieve pain.

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Mention should be made of folk remedies that relieve pain at the vaccination site:

to relieve inflammation and swelling of tissues, an iodine mesh is applied to the site of pain;
to alleviate the condition, you can mash a few leaves of white cabbage and apply them to the injection site for a quarter of an hour;
Form a flat cake from butter, chicken yolk and honey. You should wear such a compress for 2 hours, be sure to cover it with polyethylene and cloth;
Aloe juice, fresh potatoes or softened rye bread applied to the injection site will help relieve pain.

Which vaccines cause redness?

Many vaccines produce local adverse reactions in the form of pain, induration and swelling, and redness at the injection site; in addition, this is a common reaction to an injection. But some vaccines, for example, DTP, give pronounced reactions - we’ll talk about them briefly (only local reactions will be described here; fever, for example, will be described in another article).

Prevention of COVID-19

After vaccination against coronavirus, the usual mild local reactions are possible: swelling, soreness, redness. They all go away in 2-3 days without outside intervention, but if you experience discomfort, you can take allergy medicine. This applies to all covid vaccines, including Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V.

DTP

DTP is a complex vaccine that protects against several diseases at once, and is also “famous” for the most frequent complications, compared to other vaccines. Redness is no exception, and after DTP it occurs quite often (probability approximately 25%), and is more pronounced.

Redness is a normal reaction of the body to artificial infection; evidence of the beginning to “attack” the infected cells. If we are talking about inactivated vaccines, then the redness is slight (the norm is 2-3 cm, no more than 6-7 cm), and should go away in 2-3 days. For “live” vaccines, local reactions begin to appear only after a week.

You should sound the alarm if the area of redness noticeably increases - up to 7-8 cm, and there is an exacerbation of other local and general reactions: high temperature, throbbing pain at the injection site, red and hot skin, the tissue in the compaction feels soft to the touch. In such situations, it is better not to self-medicate, but to immediately consult a doctor.

Prevention of whooping cough, hepatitis B, tetanus, polio

ADS, ADS-M, Infanrix, Pentaxim, Poliorix, Regevak, Tetraxim may cause pain and redness in the first 3 days.

Prevention of Hepatitis A

After vaccines Avaxim, Havrisk and others, pain and redness are possible in the first 3 days.

Flu prevention

As with many other vaccinations, flu vaccines (Influvac, Vaxigrip and others) can give a standard local reaction in the form of pain and redness at the injection site.