Here is what a nurse told me after I asked if lifting weights through tetanus shot pain was safe.
The day after a tetanus shot, my upper arm felt as though someone had slugged me there.
I could not lift it to horizontal — as though doing a side lift with a dumbbell — without pain.
On this day, it did not interfere with my deadlifts, farmer walks or reverse rows.
But I could tell it would be a beast to attempt pushing movements—which I was scheduled to do four days later.
The next day, no change. Rather than see what laypeople are guessing at about this on sites like Yahoo Answers, and not finding this specific information on sites like webmd, I decided to call my medical carrier’s nurse advice line.
“Is it okay to lift weights through the pain of a tetanus shot?”
I left my message with the medical assistant. Shortly after I got a call from the nurse.
She started, “I got your complaint and I laughed. You are so right!” She obviously has received many complaints about pain in the arm from a tetanus shot.
She continued, “It hurts SO bad. I’ve had the same shot myself. It DOES hurt. It’s the medicine working in the arm. The more you move it, the more you’ll work out the medicine.”
The pain is from the vaccine drug working around in there. “It hurts really really bad,” she continued.
But she assured me that movement is the best thing for it, and this includes strength training.
I even said, “So I can go ahead and pick up my dumbbells?” And she gave me the green light.
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Medical Doctor’s Answer
I then asked a doctor, for the purpose of this article, what her take was on lifting weights despite pain from a tetanus shot.
“Absolutely. In fact, keeping the muscles moving will help the pain,” says Susan L. Besser, MD, with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore; Diplomate, American Board of Obesity Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
However, the green light comes with a precaution. Your arm, due to the tetanus shot, may be weaker, even if you can mentally bully your way through the pain during a weightlifting set.
So start out with lighter weights, particularly with the dumbbell overhead press and dumbbell press.
Gradually work your way up to your working sets with the bench press; so if you normally perform warmups with four different weights, insert a few additional intermediary loads in there.
For best results, don’t do pushing movements or shoulder work within two days of a tetanus shot, as the pain may distract you and result in a sub-par weightlifting session.
Dr. Besser provides comprehensive family care, treating common and acute primary conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Her ongoing approach allows her the opportunity to provide accurate and critical diagnoses of more complex conditions and disorders.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
