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hads86 Author

Level 1

10 points

Apple Watch causing lump on hand and shooting arm pain

I’ve been wearing my watching on my left wrist for 8 months and out of the blue on day I woke up not being able to move my thumb. The pain was so severe but I thought I might have slept wrong on it and decided to remove the Apple Watch from the left arm and put it on my right until the left hand and arm healed. The pain stemmed from soft part on top of the hand where the thumb ends. The area was slightly swollen. The pain shot up all the way to my elbow and towards the top of arm close to the shoulder. It felt like a tendon or nerve being pulled. I decided to put the watch on my right arm, to give my left arm a break from wearing anything. About 4 days in my right arm started feeling numb, my knuckles hurt and then again the pain shooting up towards my right elbow. I went to the doctor with pain thinking I had arthritis. I’m a fit 36 yr old. I got all my blood tests done and they were normal and nothing that could explain the pain in my arms. I was at a point where I couldn’t even tie my hair because my arms felt heavy and hurt really bad. As I looked for answers, I figured the only change i had made was placing the Apple Watch on my right hand and then the pain started. I had noticed a few days prior to the pain starting that there was a green light that flickered at the back of the watch and I paid no attention thinking it was normal. Once I removed the watch and within an hour the shooting pain in my elbow was less severe. Now this has been a few days but I still have some lingering pain my arms. I’ll never be wearing the watch again. Also want to point out that I have only worn the watch to sleep about 2-3 times in my 10 months of owning it, otherwise I put it on charge. I also don’t wear it too tight. Still in disbelief that the watch was the cause of the pain! Utterly disappointed and dissatisfied with the watch and Apple. Just wanted to put this out there for people who are having the same issue as me.

Posted on Aug 17, 2023 9:11 PM

Top-ranking reply

marcie158

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Nov 7, 2023 11:11 AM

Yes, my Apple Watch is causing wrist pain ! I’ve had the same experience as I’ve been wearing my Apple Watch for the past two years, but I do not wear too tight and I do not sleep in it. I put it on the charger at night.. I started noticing this week that when I would go exercise the greenlight, will go off constantly and it felt like it shocked my left wrist and I started getting left wrist pain, felt like nerve pain.

It was on the pinky side of my wrist. I’m an Acupuncturist , and the pinky side of the wrist goes up to the heart and is the heart Meridian. So that seems dangerous that the electrical current from the watch or the EMFs or whatever it is, is affecting my wrist and goes up the left side of the arm as that Meridian travels to the heart.

That could be very dangerous.

. the shock and the intense pain scared me so I took my watch off immediately. The pain started going away.. so the next day I tried to wear my watch again, and the same thing happened, and when I would take my watch off, the pain will go away. The pain doesn’t always go immediately but pretty shortly after taking the watch off maybe 30 minutes or so after. The pain does not come back and less I wear the watch again.

Last night I took a 5 mile walk, and I wanted to keep track of my steps, so I wore my watch. By the end of my walk, the green light was going off constantly.

Is it normal for the greenlight to go off for a few hours at a time when exercising?

Mine will go off for hours at a time..

When I finished my walk, I had the left wrist pain really bad again, but felt like maybe nerve pain or just pain that went up my arm. So I took my watch off and I had a good night of sleep and I have not put my watch on today and my pain is all gone today… it’s becoming very clear to me that my Apple Watch is causing wrist pain. Again, my watch is not tight at all and it’s in the right place and I do not wear it at night.. this is very scary to me, and very concerning and upsetting.

I really got use to wearing my watch and having it keep track of my steps and my lap swimming but at the same time I’m absolutely not going to wear some thing that is going to affect my health and feeling good and I absolutely do not want to have wrist pain from the Apple Watch!

I’ve been reading that lots of other people are having the same issue too so this is a problem that really needs to be investigated… has Apple responded to anyone about this issue? I will call them about this….

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22 replies

sariadia

Level 1

8 points

Nov 7, 2023 2:55 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

It’s not rheumatoid. I have some arthritis in my left thumb, but no evidence anywhere else according to x-rays and CT scans. I now wear a large man’s Tmex at night (for a few months now) which doesn’t bother my wrist at all. It glows when I press the stem so I can see the time.

Nov 8, 2023 2:46 PM in response to sariadia

sariadia wrote:

It’s not rheumatoid. I have some arthritis in my left thumb, but no evidence anywhere else according to x-rays and CT scans. I now wear a large man’s Tmex at night (for a few months now) which doesn’t bother my wrist at all. It glows when I press the stem so I can see the time.

Yes, a lighter watch will be less stressful.

Dec 20, 2023 7:05 PM in response to hads86

Try getting an allergy test. I totally forgot I was allergic to titanium. I found out that that’s what was causing me some of the same symptoms you had. I first found out about the allergy when I got a piercing and my whole face reacted after about a month. Took me a while to figure out that it was the titanium. It wasn’t until I got another piercing that I knew for sure. Then I got an allergy test that confirmed it. So please get tested for a titanium allergy

sariadia

Level 1

8 points

Dec 20, 2023 7:48 PM in response to GrannySmithe

I don't think I'm allergic to titanium. I had laparoscopic surgery on my abdomen and have seven titanium clips which were permanently placed and have never caused me an issue. But it's certainly worth checking; it could be an allergy that affect my skin. I'll have it checked out.

beall208

Level 1

12 points

Feb 25, 2024 6:36 AM in response to hads86

I purchased my watch (5 series) specifically because it has low heart rate notifications. My rate drops into the 30s during sleep, and this has been proven with external heart monitors. I have no known symptoms from extended time in the 30s, but I spend as much as 2-3 hrs a night with a heart rate under 40. That means the green light must be activated a lot during the night. I have developed a soft lump on the forearm just above the the watch. My primary doc says she thinks it's a lipoma, but at times it feels like a bruise. I have considered going to a vascular specialist. It is logical that I shouldn't wear the watch at night, but it is important I track symptoms with the rate. I am NOT an elite athlete. Spend one night in a hospital with a heart rate monitor and see how many times you'll have staff running in to check you if your rate falls into the 30s for 10 minutes at a time! I don't feel comfortable not wearing it at night, and I track my rate and resting rate. But I do worry that "soft tissue" lump could become something worse. Rock. Hard place.

Feb 26, 2024 6:36 AM in response to beall208

beall208 wrote:

I don't feel comfortable not wearing it at night, and I track my rate and resting rate. But I do worry that "soft tissue" lump could become something worse. Rock. Hard place.

Wear the watch on your other wrist?

Lipomas, as I'm sure your doctor told you, are highly unlikely to ever become malignant.

Nov 7, 2023 11:13 AM in response to marcie158

marcie158 wrote:

this is very scary to me, and very concerning and upsetting.

Stop wearing the watch and see a medical doctor.

Apple Watch causing lump on hand and shooting arm pain