Which arm for a flu shot?

[Outshined91]

Depends if you play with a pick or not. I find my arm muscles only really come into play after 1-2 hours of constant pick use, playing repetitive 8th or 16th notes or fast lines. I think if you use your fingers you should go right because your left arm overall will have more gripping and moving to do.

 

[sokolasty]

Vax has to be muscle injection? Arm is preferred I think from logistics/efficiency point of view. It takes longer to get injection in buttock or thigh (because you must undress, dress again etc).

I do injections on my own in thigh because I am to lazy and time constrained to travel to hospital. It works.

You might want to ask to get injection in thigh, buttock or other big muscle.

 

[Staccato]

Which arm? We need to talk! Your dominant side, right hand or left is not to be bothered. Your opposite side is for the shot. Ambidextrous? Flip a freaking coin. Next question?

A little pain is usually not a life changer. You can do this!!!

 

[The Deep]

This is an unbelievable topic, even for modern day “men”……

 

[Oldbasslover]

The flu vaccine just needs to be Intramuscular - IM, so any reasonable sized muscle group will do. If you a re worried about arm soreness, get it in your thigh, or your butt. Who knows, that stiffness in your gluteus maximus might give rise to a new dance move that could go viral!

 

[BlueTalon]

I tend to sleep on my left side, so I'd get the shot in my right arm.

 

[pcake]

You could take it in the butt, just to be sure it won’t affect your performance

that could be awkward at some locations - the pharmacy where i got my covid booster today does vaccines out in the open. they might take it wrong if one started unzipping their pants...

 

[Rune Bivrin]

And bravo for not adding "carrots" to the pole. This is one instance where that would not be a good choice.

This! Having carrots on a pole is bad. Worse as the pole gets taller.

But I think they should be on every poll...

 

[Volker Kirstein]

No preference.

The needle jab istelf does nothing to impede me from thumping roots all night long. I believe this to be true for many (most?) people. Exceptions do exist, like all generalities about people.

It's the reactions, if any, that would keep me from playing. If one has a reaction to a shot, it really doesn't matter which arm it went in.

I've never had any reactions from a shot.

 

[mcnach]

I really can't believe this hasn't been discussed (and if it has I can't believe how well hidden it was from Search...), so here it goes:

Situation:

• You're getting a flu shot today
• Your arm will be sore from the shot
• You're playing for ~2 hours later today
• You play right-handed (so you fret with your left and pluck/pick with your right)

Knowing you'll be playing for a few hours with a sore arm, which one do you sacrifice to the soreness?

The soreness is nowhere near enough to get in the way, in my experience... and I guess most others' so that's why there isn't a massive discussion about it.

So it's a "no preference, probably righ arm if asked" from me.

 

[DTRN]

I always advise the dominate arm. The one you're going to move/use the most. In theory, it keeps the extremity from stiffening. In reality, it doesn't matter.

 

[FritzM]

"A little pain is usually not a life changer. You can do this!!!"

Idk, it was more than a little pain for me. However, I didn't really feel it until the next day.

 

[Hummergeist]

Left.

 

[Medicine Man]

Your plucking arm moves much less than the fretting, unless you are doing a bunch of windmills or something.

 

[Cloudspine]

The real answer is to keep your arm moving and stretching for 30 minutes after.

 

[onda'bass]

I just had a booster and it hurt like hell that night, I still played and carried on...right arm fwiw

 

[SteveHeissner]

Three things:

1. Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water, on the day of the injection
2. Ice the arm for 15 minutes at the injection site after receiving the shot
3. Relax, do not flex the arm during the injection

I did this for my COVID injections and barely felt it.

 

[lfmn16]

It’s not debilitating, it’s a little soreness.

 

[FritzM]

It’s not debilitating, it’s a little soreness.

It is different for different people.

 

[GreggBummer]

Vaccine researcher and sports medicine doc by day here, so I'll weigh in.

You should get your shot in your deltoid muscle. For most bass guitarists, the deltoid gets a lot more work on the fretting hand than on the plucking/pick hand. For DB it's not even close, even when bowing.

You can generally expect a little less soreness from the flu shot than from COVID vaccines, especially the mRNA vaccines. Shingrix can pack a little deltoid punch as well, but beats the netherworld outta shingles!

Thanks for commenting doc!