Sudden, Severe Shoulder and Arm Pain After a Vaccination May Be Brachial Neuritis.
If you receive a vaccine and experience severe pain in the shoulder and upper arm, these could be the first signs of brachial neuritis. Also known as Parsonage-Turner syndrome, brachial neuritis is a type of vaccine injury that can disrupt daily life and cause lasting weakness in the affected shoulder and arm.
Brachial neuritis is a recognized injury under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) for tetanus-containing vaccines and has also been compensated following other covered vaccines.
Dhairya Jani practiced inside the VICP for years in multiple roles: as a lead DOJ Vaccine Trial Attorney, and as a federal judicial law clerk at the Vaccine Court. He has the experience you need to navigate the petition process and receive compensation for brachial neuritis. For a free and confidential consultation, contact our law firm today.
What Is Brachial Neuritis?
Brachial neuritis is a condition involving sudden, intense pain in the shoulder and arm, followed by weakness and, in some cases, muscle wasting. The pain typically comes on without warning and can be severe enough to disrupt sleep and prevent normal use of the arm for weeks or months.
Recovery from brachial neuritis is variable. Many people diagnosed with brachial neuritis improve over one to three years, but some experience lasting weakness or pain.
Symptoms of Brachial Neuritis
Symptoms of brachial neuritis typically start within 2 to 28 days of receiving a vaccine. These symptoms include:
- Sudden onset of severe, sharp, or burning pain in the shoulder, upper arm, or neck
- Pain that does not ease with rest or position changes
- Weakness developing in the shoulder or arm in the days or weeks that follow
- Muscle wasting in the affected arm
- Numbness or tingling
Does Your Shoulder Pain Qualify as Brachial Neuritis Under the Vaccine Injury Table?
Brachial neuritis is listed on the Vaccine Injury Table for tetanus-containing vaccines, including Tdap, Td, DTP, DTaP, and DT. If your symptoms began within 2 to 28 days of receiving one of those vaccines, the VICP already recognizes your injury as vaccine-related. The government then bears the burden of proving otherwise.
Is It Brachial Neuritis or Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)?
Both brachial neuritis and SIRVA cause shoulder and arm pain after vaccination and are sometimes confused with each other. The key difference is what happens after the initial pain.
- With brachial neuritis, the severe pain is followed by noticeable weakness in the arm, sometimes progressing to muscle wasting. That nerve injury pattern is the defining feature.
- With SIRVA, the injury stays in the shoulder structures and does not involve that kind of weakness or nerve involvement.
If your arm has become weak since your vaccination, brachial neuritis is the more likely diagnosis.
What If Your Brachial Neuritis Case Falls Outside the Table?
Brachial neuritis following a non-tetanus covered vaccine or with onset outside the 2 to 28-day window may still be compensable.
Cases that fall outside the Table criteria have been compensated by the VICP where a sound medical theory connects the vaccination to the nerve injury. If your situation does not fit perfectly, that conversation is still worth having. Jani Law PLLC can discuss whether you have a potential off-table vaccine injury claim.
Why Choose Jani Law PLLC for Your Brachial Neuritis Case
Whether your case proceeds as a Table claim or requires off-table causation development, building a strong record from the outset is what determines the outcome. Off-table cases require a causation theory built on the immune-mediated mechanism connecting the vaccination to the nerve injury, expert development, and a medical record that supports each element of the claim.
Dhairya Jani practiced inside the VICP for years. As a federal judicial law clerk at the Vaccine Court, he drafted entitlement rulings and procedural decisions on vaccine injury claims. As a lead DOJ Trial Attorney on more than 85 cases, he worked on both contested hearings and negotiated settlements.
He has seen how brachial neuritis claims are evaluated before a word of advocacy is written.
Have You Been Diagnosed with Brachial Neuritis? Contact Jani Law PLLC Today.
If you developed brachial neuritis after a vaccination, contact Jani Law PLLC today for a free, confidential consultation. Attorney’s fees are paid separately by the VICP. You keep 100% of any compensation awarded.