Michele Trala v. HHS - Tdap, left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) (2026)

On October 25, 2021, Michele Trala filed a petition alleging that a Tdap vaccine administered on October 30, 2020 caused a left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration. Before vaccination, a September 2020 primary-care visit documented no joint pain or myalgia and a normal upper-extremity exam.

Ms. Trala received the Tdap vaccine while being treated for a right chest-wall burn.

A few days later she reported swelling, redness, sharp pain, and decreased range of motion around the vaccination site. She was initially treated for cellulitis with antibiotics.

By December 2020, she continued to describe left upper-arm pain beginning after the tetanus shot, with difficulty lifting the arm overhead and sleeping on that side. Orthopedic and therapy records then documented continuing shoulder pain.

In late December 2020, Ms. Trala had limited flexion and elevation, shoulder tenderness, positive impingement signs, and a steroid injection that improved her range of motion.

She attended 23 physical therapy sessions from January through June 2021. Her pain was initially reported as 8 out of 10 and interfered with lifting, dressing, and washing her hair.

A second steroid injection in January brought marked improvement, and by June 2021 she reported being about 98 percent better with occasional discomfort. Respondent contested onset and argued that early burn-care visits did not document shoulder complaints.

Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran found the Table SIRVA criteria satisfied and awarded $71,000.00 for pain and suffering on January 6, 2026.