Is It Normal to Experience Armpit Pain After Receiving a Vaccine?

Family Medicine, Primary Care Roots Community Health Center, Hippo Education, Kameda Medical Center

Supervised by Kenji Taylor, MD

Yes, it is fairly common to feel armpit pain after getting a vaccine due to the injection and the immune system's reaction.

Explanation

After receiving a vaccine, many people notice some soreness or a dull ache in their armpit. The injection can cause tiny injuries to the muscle or skin near the armpit, which may lead to discomfort. Also, the vaccine triggers your immune system to work hard, and this can cause the lymph nodes in your armpit to swell a little. This swelling is a normal sign that your body is responding and building protection. Some studies, especially with COVID-19 vaccines, have shown that axillary lymph node swelling and pain after a vaccine are common experiences. Typically, this pain is temporary and goes away on its own after a few days. If the pain is mild and does not last very long, it is usually not a cause for concern. However, if the pain is very strong, lasts for several days, or you experience other unusual symptoms like fever, it’s wise to check in with a doctor to be safe.

(References)

Bancsi A, Houle SKD, Grindrod KA. Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration and other injection site events. Can Fam Physician. 2019 Jan;65(1):40-42. PMID: 30674513; PMCID: PMC6347325.
Yoshimoto N, Yanagi A, Takayama S, Sakamoto M, Tomoda K, Ishikawa K, Kawate A, Takayama S, Yamashita M, Yamamoto S, Yokoyama K, Suzuki H, Kani H. Axillary Lymph Node Swelling After COVID-19 Booster Vaccination: Japanese Case Report and Literature Review. In Vivo. 2022 Jul-Aug;36(4):1977-1981. doi: 10.21873/invivo.12921. PMID: 35738594; PMCID: PMC9301409.
Yoshikawa T, Miki S, Nakao T, Koshino S, Hayashi N, Abe O. Axillary Lymphadenopathy after Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccination: MRI Evaluation. Radiology. 2023 Jan;306(1):270-278. doi: 10.1148/radiol.220814. Epub 2022 Sep 13. PMID: 36098641; PMCID: PMC9490792.

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