Shoulder Pain

Pain After Shot to the Shoulder

Table of Contents

Want to skip ahead?
Here’s link to my post about
getting relief on your own.

How People Describe This Pain Pattern

A shot to the shoulder can lead people to complain of sharp pain when lifting their arm. This specific pain often hurts less at the outset of lifting the arm but increases along the outside of their shoulder. The intensity then seems to decrease again as the elbow becomes level with the shoulder.

This movement-related pain may be broad across the center of the shoulder. Or, it may focus on the lower attachment alongside the biceps and triceps.

This pattern typically appears on the side of the shoulder, even if the shot/trauma is on the front of the deltoid. This pain is created by a trigger point pattern, not nerve patterns. That means the area of pain or referral doesn’t follow the nerve patterns that you would expect. Because of that, you can release the trigger point and get relief, even though the area may continue to be a bit swollen from the vaccine. Read about how to do that in the self-care post.

An Unusual Pattern.

These patterns are not common. Most people don’t experience them except after a vaccination in the shoulder. Not that they cannot occur in other instances; see those listed below.

Even more unusual would be that the shot or trauma is to the back of the shoulder. Specifically, this happens when the trauma occurs to the fleshy part of the back of the shoulder.

There are many patterns in the back of the shoulder, and this one is the least likely. If you have pain there, it is not likely that this is your pattern. Unless you recently had a vaccination shot or sharp blow to the back of the shoulder. Take look at this list of shoulder pain patterns.

How You Activate and Intensify This Pain Pattern

The trigger point for this pain pattern is almost always activated by trauma. Of these, the most common are:

  • Vaccine or other medical injection
  • Sports, like lacrosse or rugby, that involve blows to an unprotected shoulder
  • Falls, motor vehicle accidents, and other situations resulting in blunt force to the shoulder.

Unusual though it is, I am seeing a lot more of this in my practice at the moment as patients and friends scramble for Covid-19 vaccinations.

The Musculoskeletal Anatomy Behind Your Pain

Musculoskeletal Anatomy

About these Illustrations…

This post on anatomy contains standard information about the origin, insertion, function, and innervation of muscles. It also includes information on functional considerations and anomalies.

Find Related Posts

Anatomy posts have a grid of all related posts. This includes posts on pain patterns, self-care, therapy notes, NMT protocols, cranial techniques, and cases.

Getting Relief on Your Own

Clinically Proven
Self-Care Strategies

This post has strategies for getting relief on your own. Explore how to change your activities, stretch, and other strategies that relieve the pain associated with this trigger point.

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Tony Preston has a practice in Atlanta, Georgia, where he sees clients. He has written materials and instructed classes since the mid-90s. This includes anatomy, trigger points, cranial, and neuromuscular.

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*This site is undergoing significant changes. We are reformatting and expanding the posts to make them easier to read. The result will also be more accessible and include more patterns with better self-care. Meanwhile, there may be formatting, content presentation, and readability inconsistencies. Until we get older posts updated, please excuse our mess.

Tony Preston

Tony Preston, LMT has been treating adults and children since the early 90s. He has authored a number of texts on neuromuscular and craniosacral techniques. He has taught Neuromuscular Therapy for ASHA School of Massage and craniosacral the National Institute of Craniosacral Studies. He currently teaches seminars in Integrative Craniosacral techniques at The Body Guild.

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