Apple Watch causing wrist pain

Thanks for your post. I am having a similar problem. Pain on my forearm and wrist. I am switching arm as a test and also thinking of trying a different watch band. Currently using and what the Nike watch band which I don’t like very much

I've used different bands and even switched the arm that I wear the watch on and the problem occurs only with the wrist that I wear the watch on. I wish it wasn't an issue as I really like the watch and many of the features it offers.

My solution is that I quit wearing the watch as I don't have any wrist related pain when I'm not wearing it. My iPhone has once again become my go to time keeper and step monitor.

I will continue to update my watch and wear it from time to time to see if the issue resolves itself. I bought the watch from a friend when she upgraded to the 2nd generation, so it isn't like I'm out a lot of money. Plus, I keep the watch on my nightstand to use as a clock and to help me find my iPhone when I misplace it, so it is not a total loss for me.

It's been about 4 wks. since I first noticed the wrist pain, and assumed it was due to wearing the watch. I had worn the watch since last June with no problem whatsoever.

But lately, I've gone a couple of days wearing the watch (especially using the thin Apple "Milanese" stainless mesh band rather than the stiffer thicker leather or silicone straps) with no pain or clicking; OTOH, woke up this morning and when I rotated my (bare) wrist while flossing my teeth, I felt the clicking and pain again. Took it off when I got a mani-pedi this aft.--it was off for 3 hrs and still I got the pain & clicking. Sometimes I'll take it off before bedtime and even after a full night's sleep my wrist is sore. (Voltaren gel and Bio-Freeze do help, but they have to fully absorb lest I gunk up the back of the watch).

I did take a spill at home l in Jan. and reached out my L hand to break my fall--the pain began a couple of wks. later. I got my X-rays back from my orthopedist showing "degenerative changes" in the wrist (triangular fibro-cartilagenous complex, aka "TfCC") and base-of-thumb cartilage. I also have an "ulnar variance" of 4mm (that bone is longer than the radius, which can irritate the cartilage in case of injury). And just today, I felt soreness in my R wrist. In short, I had an injury (probably a ligament sprain as well as the cartilage abrasion) and I'm not getting any younger. An MRI in April will reveal whether I trashed any soft tissue, and if so, which. Have had an orthopedist and a nurse both tell me it's "age + Injury=arthritis."

What's that phrase we learned in Statistics class? Oh, yeah--"correlation is not causation."

I have the same issue. Ive owned the Apple Watch since the very first model. Never any issues. Then I bought the latest LTE model and I have aches and pains in my left hand and wrist (watch hand). My left hand feels physically weaker than prior to wearing the watch. I may try wearing a normal watch for a week and then if the pain stops I will put it back on to see if there is any relationship to the device or not. PS. I love my Apple Watch.

If you wear a new pair of shoes for a couple of days and you experience pain in your feet that you never had before buying the shoes, the problem is definitely not the shoes! 😮 Really? Of course, it's the shoes. You don't need a doctor, scientist, or Level 8 - 10 geniuses to tell you it's not the shoes. If they don't fit, return them if you can. It's that simple. They may fit someone else perfectly.

My wrist was fine before I turned on LTE. I turned it off and my wrist is fine again. End of story. I have thirteen more days to try it out and will try turning on LTE again at some point. If I feel pain, I'll turn it off. If I can live without LTE, I may keep the watch. If not, I'll return it and it will fit someone else perfectly.

Thanks for your support and concern.

Well, it wasn't the watch--turns out my ulna was 4mm too long (congenital) and time + aging caused it to tear my TFCC (wrist cartilage). The soreness & clicking would have happened anyway. Recovering from surgery as I type this (one-handed--with my Apple Watch on my R wrist).

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"--anonymous. Sometimes the cause of pain emanates from your body, not what you might be wearing on it. A prime example of why, when you hear hoofbeats, look for horses before you look for zebras.

(Insert additional cliche of choice here).