THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU BELIEVE YOU MAY HAVE SUFFERED A SHOULDER INJURY OR SIRVA

We’ve previously detailed some important differences and distinctions between normal shoulder pain following a flu shot or other vaccination and what might be the symptoms of a more serious shoulder injury. In this post, we will go over some things to keep in mind if you believe you may have suffered such a shoulder injury.

Contact A Doctor Or Other Healthcare Provider As Soon As Possible

The first thing we would recommend doing if you are uncertain as to whether you may have suffered a shoulder injury from a flu shot or other vaccination is to contact a doctor or other healthcare provider as soon as possible. Whether it be calling or emailing the pharmacy or provider who administered the vaccination or calling your primary care physician, it is always a good idea to contact a healthcare provider as soon as possible to explain your symptoms and get their input.  If possible, you may also want to make an appointment with your primary care physician to have them examine your shoulder and have them perform certain orthopedic and diagnostic testing on the shoulder.  If an appointment is not available for an extended period of time, consider other alternatives such as seeing a specialist or going to an urgent care facility.  Not only it is a good idea to receive the input of a healthcare professional as soon as possible, but it will also provide contemporaneous documentation of the onset of your symptoms following the vaccination, which is a critical component to any case under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) should it become necessary for you to file a claim.

Continue To Tell The Healthcare Providers When The Pain Began And The Fact That The Pain Started After Receiving A Vaccination

Most medical records have a History of Present Illness (HPI) section, which is a description of the development of the patient’s present illness. The HPI is usually a chronological description of the progression of the patient’s present illness from the first sign and symptom to the present. Whether you are seeing a healthcare provider for the first time or for repeated appointments, it is important to remind the provider of when the symptoms started and if applicable, the fact that the symptoms started after receiving a vaccination.  Not only will this provide valuable information to the provider for diagnostic and treatment purposes, but it will also document the onset of your symptoms and your beliefs and attribution that the symptoms started after receiving a vaccination. These may be important issues should you need to file a claim for compensation under the VICP.

No Gaps In Treatment

If you believe you suffered a shoulder injury, not only is it important to document your symptoms as soon as possible with a healthcare professional, but it is also important to follow up on your recommended treatments and attend all of your scheduled appointments.  It is also important to continue to treat with healthcare professionals even if it is to just monitor your condition and make sure that your symptoms or conditions do not worsen.  In this way, your condition will continue to be monitored by a trained healthcare professional and it will also be documented that your symptoms are continuing even if you are not actively treating for them.  If there are any large gaps in treatment in your treatment history, it may be alleged that your condition improved or that your symptoms went away.  This may be an important issue should you need to bring a claim for injury under the VICP.

Contact An Attorney Experienced In Vaccine Injuries and Vaccine Litigation

Just as it is important to contact a healthcare professional as soon as possible, it is also advisable to contact an attorney experienced in vaccine litigation as soon as possible as well.  Experienced counsel can be a valuable source of information for you and can assist you in positioning yourself to protect your rights and to present a persuasive case for compensation should you need to file a claim under the VICP. 

If you have shoulder pain or other symptoms after receiving a flu shot or other vaccination, please feel free to contact our firm. There is no charge for such a consultation and our firm is experienced in litigating vaccine injury claims on behalf of those suffering injuries after a vaccination. We would be happy to answer any questions that you may have as well as to discuss a potential claim for compensation.