Objective Shoulder
pain is a common presentation in the primary care setting, and
shoulder pain after vaccination has a growing body of literature. The present study sought to understand how a standardized treatment protocol would aid patients experiencing
shoulder injury related to
vaccine administration (SIRVA). Methods Patients experiencing SIRVA were retrospectively recruited between February 2017 and February 2021. All patients were treated with
physical therapy and offered a
cortisone injection. Post-treatment range of motion (i.e., forward elevation, external rotation, internal rotation) and patients' reported outcomes were collected with the visual analogue scale (VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), simple shoulder test (SST), and single assessment numeric evaluation (SANE) scores. Results A total of 9 patients were retrospectively examined. Among them, 6 patients presented within one month of a recent vaccination event, while 3 patients presented 67, 87, and 120 days after vaccination. Furthermore, 8 of the patients completed
physical therapy, and 6 of them underwent a
cortisone injection. The follow-up time averaged 8 months. At final follow-up, the mean external rotation was 61° (standard deviation, SD ± 3°) and the mean forward elevation was 179° (SD ± 45°). Internal rotation ranged between L3 and T10. The VAS
pain scores were 3.5/10.0 (SD ± 2.4), the mean ASES score was 63.5/100.0 (SD ± 26.3), and the SST scores were 8.5/12.0 (SD ± 3.9). Finally, the SANE scores were 75.7/100.0 (SD ± 24.7) and 95.7/100.0 (SD ± 6.1) in the injured and contralateral shoulders respectively. Conclusion Shoulder
pain after a vaccination treated with
physical therapy and
cortisone injection ultimately resulted in favorable shoulder range of motion and functional score outcomes. Level of Evidence IV.