Richard K. Parker v. HHS - Pneumococcal, Parsonage-Turner syndrome (2025)

Richard K. Parker filed a petition alleging he developed Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS) as a result of a Prevnar 13 vaccine received on November 21, 2014.

Mr. Parker, a 67-year-old personal trainer and weightlifter, reported experiencing pain, discomfort, weakness, and atrophy in his right shoulder, arm, and pectoral muscles starting in December 2014 or January 2015.

He was diagnosed with PTS by neurologist Dr. Hardy, who suggested the vaccine was the cause.

However, other medical professionals, including orthopedists and neurologists, opined that Mr. Parker's symptoms were more consistent with a pre-existing rotator cuff tear arthropathy, which became symptomatic due to his age and continued weightlifting.

Experts debated the diagnosis of PTS, the potential for the vaccine to cause PTS through molecular mimicry or adjuvant effects, and the appropriate timeframe for symptom onset. The court found that Mr.

Parker's symptoms and clinical course were not consistent with classic PTS and that his condition was more likely explained by rotator cuff arthropathy. Furthermore, the court determined that even if he had PTS, the onset of symptoms (at least 41 days post-vaccination) fell outside a medically acceptable timeframe for vaccine causation, and that weightlifting was a more likely trigger than the vaccine.

The petition was denied.