So maybe they try to take off from work or if they can’t take off, they do it on a day where it’s not busy for them because everyone can respond so differently to the vaccines.Īfter they receive the vaccine, I usually will just recommend that they kind of just chill, and try to take it easy for the rest of the day - just see how their body responds. KC: Well, before they schedule the vaccine, I try to recommend that they do it on a day that they reserve a little bit of time for it. IS: What do you normally advise your patients to do after administering the vaccine? Sometimes people may not feel anything at all. Really, the reactions can vary from person to person. They may experience fevers, chills, just feeling a little bit down or sluggish. KC: So after getting the vaccine, in addition to potentially experiencing soreness at the site of injection, people may experience some fatigue. IS: Other than soreness in your vaccinated arm, what are some of the other side effects after getting the vaccine? So if you’re doing any kind of movement in the arm that you receive an injection in, it could certainly help to decrease the soreness in that area. And sometimes people will experience soreness after their flu vaccine. Another common one that we get in the arm would be the flu vaccine. I think could help with other vaccines as well. If you don’t experience arm soreness, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your body isn’t producing an appropriate immune response. And that’s what we want from this vaccine - for your body to produce an immune response. Two, it’s a sign that your body is starting to produce an immune response. KC: Well, one, you are injecting a foreign object - a needle - into your deltoid muscle. IS: Why do you get sore after the vaccine? But if you do experience it, one of the ways to help decrease the soreness is to move your arm or to exercise your arm throughout the day. Some people may experience it and others may not. We know that some people, after they get their vaccine shot, the injection site is pretty sore. I think it helps if you do it shortly after. Certainly moving or keeping your arm in action after you get the vaccine can help to decrease soreness. I see that people are doing it, or a lot of younger people are doing it, after they get their COVID shot. Kristamarie Collman: I have heard about the helicopter arm, or the windmill arm. Iris Santalucia: Do you think this trend is a legitimate way of relieving soreness from your arm after getting the vaccine?ĭr. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. We also talked about how the vaccine affects menstruation as well as some tips on what to do when you get your vaccine. Kristamarie Collman, a board certified family medicine physician based in Orlando, Florida. Since I haven’t been able to get my vaccine yet, I couldn’t test it out for myself. This trend was started as a method to relieve arm soreness after people receive their vaccines. There’s a new TikTok trend where people swing their arms in a circle - also known as the “helicopter arm.” And though it might look like a dance at first, it’s really a hack.