Pain after IM shot (buttock area)

[TH Anonymous]

[SIZE="a"]Hey, so I get IM shots every month and the nurses always inject in the buttock area because I have ugly scarring across both my thighs.

I got my shot yesterday and even though nothing felt different than usual when the nurse stabbed me, I began to feel pain from the injection site to my knee some hours after. My foot also feels weird. As if I had some sort of mini cramp.

Last night wasn't one of my best: sitting hurts and laying hurts too. I limp horribly because of the pain, especially when I haven't moved for some time. I'm sitting right now and it takes a lot of time to be able to walk pretty normally again after getting up. I can't raise my leg very high.

If this information could be useful, I broke a vertebra some years ago and it didn't heal properly (I went to the hospital, they didn't see the fracture, so they sent me back home and since I was still in pain eight months later, they made me take X-rays again and oh, a fracture!). I've been mildly limping ever since and I lost a bit of “feeling”/coordination in my legs. Perhaps it plays a role. The fractured one is the twelfth dorsal vertebra.

Should I be worried/tell my parents? I'm nineteen btw. And male.[/size]

[Celyn]

Sorry for the late reply!

How are you feeling now?

Sometimes when you get a shot it can cause some pain, bruising and swelling, especially if it's hit a nerve. Though the pain should fade away soon.

If you are still feeling pain, and unable to sit or walk or notice that the pain is getting worse then it's best to get it checked out with your doctor.

[Mallika]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out! Ouch, that does sound painful and uncomfortable. Hope that you will get better soon!

Are the monthly IM shots related to the fracture you had in the vertebra all those years ago? Anyhow, I think you need to raise both matters to your parents and physicians - about the IM shots as well as the vertebra fracture that didn't fully recover.

For the IM shot, perhaps you could tell your nurse/doctor next month about what happened to your knee this time round. I'm not a physician, but it is a good idea to let them know just in case it might be a side effect of some sort.

As for the vertebra fracture from which you haven't quite recovered completely, it might be possible to seek physiotherapy. You're just 19 and you have a long way ahead of you. You wouldn't want to have this limp, though mild, come in the way of your day-to-day activities if there's a way for it to be cured. I tore my knee ligament when I was sixteen, and my school's physical education teacher told me that my leg would only function to 70% capacity after that. I got the surgery, did physio religiously, and guess what - my knee is totally normal now and regained its full original capacity (proving my physical ed teacher's prediction wrong). If there's a way for you to get your vertebra fracture's lingering effects treated, that would be fantastic.

Take care!

[Just Peachy.]

Hey there, I know this is late but I didn't want to not respond!

Shots are interesting, in that they affect people in different ways. For example- vaccines. Some people are just fine, and some people spike low grade fevers and experience swelling in the area they were administered the vax. I'm not a doctor, and therefore can't diagnose you- but it sounds like it could be an adverse reaction. Or it could be completely unrelated to your shot. Because what your experiencing is not normal, I would definitely contact your physician. I would tell them what you're experiencing, and they they can help you out further.

To answer your question- you are nineteen, so you don't have to tell your parents. However, if they are apart of your support system-then absolutely. They can help you figure out what's going on.

I really hope that you were able to figure it out since you posted. It sounds awful to deal with. I know I'm late to respond. I wanted to respond in case this happens again. Feel better soon