In most cases, getting an HPV vaccine is a walk in the park. Millions of preteens, teenagers, and young adults have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus. Overall, HPV vaccines are very safe, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The benefits of HPV vaccination outweigh the potential adverse reactions. Many people have mild…

According to the CDC, adults should receive the tetanus vaccine every 10 years. This vaccine helps prevent infection of tetanus bacteria, which is everywhere in the environment.  But sometimes, people don’t get a tetanus shot booster until they’ve stepped on a rusty nail or were bitten by a dog.  Needless to say, a lot of…

The meningitis vaccine, also known as meningococcal B vaccination, is recommended for preteens and teens. This age group is at an increased risk for meningococcal disease, which is a rare but serious illness. Preteens will typically receive one dose before high school. Teens and young adults entering college may receive a booster meningitis vaccine as…

Getting your annual flu vaccine may hurt and make your arm sore for a bit. That’s pretty normal. Your arm is initially sore after a flu vaccine as your immune system fights off the dead flu virus. However, what if your arm pain has lasted more than a week? In this situation, your arm pain…

You just got your pneumococcal vaccine, and it felt more painful than you thought it would. A few weeks or months later, your shoulder pain hasn’t gone away. Your arm is still killing you after the pneumonia shot. It’s even getting worse. This isn’t something you have experienced before. Nothing like this has happened to…

At a recent appointment with your primary care doctor, they asked if you’ve received your annual flu shot yet. You say no. When they ask if you’d like one at the end of your visit, you say yes. You get it every year to protect yourself from new seasonal flu strains. But this time, you…

You have recently got an HPV vaccine. It’s been a few days, and your arm is still sore. You’re not surprised though, you’ve heard how it really hurt your friends or family when they received it. But the shoulder pain you’re experiencing really hurts, and it keeps getting worse over the next weeks and months. …

Tetanus vaccines are known to be more painful than other vaccines. You knew (and expected) this when got yours a month or two ago after stepping on a rusty nail. According to the CDC, it’s normal to have some swelling and redness at the injection site after a TDaP vaccination.  But you didn’t anticipate shoulder…

Did you know that you can get a shoulder injury from a routine vaccination? It’s called SIRVA (short for shoulder injury related to vaccine administration). SIRVA isn’t well known. While it’s a rare side effect of the vaccination process, it happens more often than folks think.  SIRVA can occur when the needle from the vaccine…

  Every year, you get a vaccine or two to protect yourself and those around you from serious illnesses. Following vaccination, your shoulder is usually sore for a few days, and then it goes away. But a few weeks ago, you got a vaccine, and it hurt like nothing before. Your symptoms seem different. Your…