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Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration is "shoulder pain and limited range of motion occurring after the administration of a vaccine intended for intramuscular administration in the upper arm... thought to occur as a result of unintended injection of vaccine antigen or trauma from the needle into and around the underlying bursa of the shoulder".
SIRVA has been described as under-reported and preventable, and "caused by incorrect technique or landmarking for intramuscular deltoid injections". Because the injury is a result of the injection technique rather than the substance injected, SIRVA can occur irrespective of the vaccine being administered. Although the injury is typically associated with vaccination, it can also occur as the result of any other kind of injection into the shoulder area. However, examination of injury reports suggests that this type of injury is of increased severity when administration of a vaccine is involved, which "may be due either to the antigenic or nonantigenic components of the vaccine". In order to avoid this type of injury, injection administrators are advised to avoid injecting the patient too high, too low, or too far to the side, and to avoid using needles that fail to penetrate deeply into the muscle, or that penetrate too deeply and contact the bone.