EPA
Vaccination
Pain in the hand is a typical side effect of the kovid-19 vaccine and can take strange and confusing forms.
While some people only feel pain, others have a stabbing pain that moves from the arm down to the side of the body, pain that moves from the shoulders or even pain that turns into tingling in the hands.
The injection of the vaccine into the arm muscle stimulates the immune system
There is a fairly simple explanation for why people feel pain at the injection site. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says it is a common side effect of any vaccine. Injecting the vaccine into the arm muscle actually stimulates the immune system.
– When that fluid enters the muscle, the body sends white blood cells and lymph fluid to that area to build an immune response. This is exactly what we want to happen, but it can be a little uncomfortable. The pain you feel is the result of activity that happens in your body – Ritter explained.
An increased amount of fluid in the lymph nodes near the injection site often causes pain in the muscles, and sometimes in the armpits or breasts.
A swollen lymph node can appear on mammography, so experts recommend that this procedure be avoided for some time after receiving the vaccine.
But what about stabbing pain or spreading pain? Ritter believes that this unusual feeling is related to nerves, unlike muscle pain.
– If inflammation develops in that area, swelling may appear around the nerves which then send a stabbing pain down the arm. Sometimes white blood cells that participate in the body’s reaction to the vaccine can enter the bloodstream. This can trigger a cascade of neurological and immune functions, says Ritter.
Pain is a completely normal thing
Feeling pain in unusual places, even away from the hand, is completely normal. In rare cases, there is a feeling as if the body is changing, but that is not a cause for concern.
When the immune response and swelling subside, the pain will go away in a few hours to a few days. If the pain is really severe, Dr. Cheryl Resinos suggests waiting 12 hours for the body to develop a full immune response, and then taking a pain medication as recommended by a doctor.
If the symptoms significantly affect the ability to function and if they are outside the scope of the expected side effects, you should definitely contact a doctor, advises Ritter.
These side effects are not unique to the kovid-19 vaccine and may occur after any adult vaccine. But since the kovid-19 vaccine is a widespread social phenomenon, its side effects have been the focus of attention in many conversations.
– It’s good that people are talking about it. Communication about the expected symptoms of the renewal of the immune system is important for maintaining trust and transparency in the public – says Ritter.
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