Apple Watch causing wrist pain

Try the test someone suggested above. Start after any previous discomfort has cleared, Power off the watch and wear it as a simple wristband for a period which you would expect to cause problems. Of course, stop and take the watch off if discomfort is excessive. This should tell you whether it is the hardware (tight strap, etc) or watch electronics causing your problem. If you have the Series 3 cellular version you could also try another test by disabling cellular and WiFi, just swipe up for Control Center and turn them off.

Not a nickel allergy. This is deep inflammation inside the wrist. Sorry but you are off on this one. I can only say what happens when I wear it. You are not me so you really cannot day that it is not the watch. But thanks anyway for your effort. It’s def the watch.

Is there any visible sign of this inflammation that your doctor can see? Sorry, but there have been extensive tests of non-ionizing radiation (WiFi and Bluetooth) and they do not cause ANY cell damage which would rule out them being the cause of your inflammation. You are definitely off on this one.

>>You can skip the test suggested, it is not electronics causing your problem.<<

Can you provide scientific proof for that, for each individual complainant? After reading the multiple threads on this topic I have a theory about many of the reports which I won’t expand here at this time because I want to avoid creating bias in the responses.

Well like I told my doctor which I did go to see because of my concerns. I am not willing to keep wearing my watch to see what else will happen. I have taken it off and big surprise no more swelling or pain. I did not get this watch to complain. I loved my watch all I need is for them to fix the problem nothing more.

If you read through this entire thread you will see repeated links for where you can find scientific proof for this. There have been many double-blind tests done where people who claimed various problems with WiFi and Bluetooth and they were unable to detect when they were and were not exposed to it. Non-ionizing radiation has long been proven to have no deleterious effect upon the body. Considering all of the non-ionizing radiation a person is exposed to on an airplane flight if they were sensitive to it they would not survive the fight. The Apple rep was right, the iPhone will emit much, much more non-ionizing radiation then the Watch, enough that it would cause damage. Add this with WiFi hotspots, Bluetooth beacons, and especially microwave ovens and you would have multimillions of sick people.

Thermal burn? I read that report you linked, and can pretty much guarantee it was not caused by a watch overheating. Unless the complainant has a medical problem with heat and pain sensation any internal overheating in the watch would cause discomfort and be noticed long before it caused injury. It is not plausible that a watch could heat up fast enough to cause immediate burns without other evidence of catastrophic failure - like ceasing to work or bursting into flames Samsung style. The natural response to a hot watch would be to remove the watch immediately. It certainly wouldn’t be overlooked until it was time to remove the watch later in the day.

To my non-medical eye the photos are more suggestive of chemical burns, or maybe something like nickel sensitivity. In any case surface burns whether thermal or chemical in origin are localized surface injuries and would not cause the soft tissue swelling or deep bone pain reported by many of the complainants.

How someone reacts to a thermal burn depends on the person in question and often how much alcohol they have consumed. Since it stated they were treated by their doctor I would think they would know whether or not they had a nickel allergy. It you are correct and it was a severe nickel allergy why would they think Apple should compensate them with $5,000? And yes, I have seen burns from heat/batteries/metal that look exactly like that.

If you would take the time to read the various threads here about pain from the Apple Watch (and there is one very long one here that contains much more information if your are interested in it) you would see most of the discussion has been allowed. I wasn't responding to you with my comment and you took it from there.

Exactly my point, except I can’t imagine anyone letting a device gradually heat to the point where it caused burns. If it was just one person I could accept substance impairment as a contributing factor, but not all in so many reports. I tend to discount nickel allergy because the nickel in stainless steel is tightly bound and only present in small quantities with very limited skin contact. Anyone with that level of sensitivity would be well aware of the issue from daily life avoiding nickel, so we can reasonably discount that. That leaves chemical burns from trapped contamination in the report cited.

The more frequent reports of swelling or intolerable pain, deep pain, no visible external symptoms are more interesting, particularly to me as a working RF engineer well aware of power levels and frequencies. After around 25 years as moderator and admin in various online discussion areas I think I recognize a characteristic pattern. There is a strangely familiar aroma about these reports. How is your knowledge of mythical Scandinavian creatures?

Branta_uk wrote:

The more frequent reports of swelling or intolerable pain, deep pain, no visible external symptoms are more interesting, particularly to me as a working RF engineer well aware of power levels and frequencies. After around 25 years as moderator and admin in various online discussion areas I think I recognize a characteristic pattern. There is a strangely familiar aroma about these reports. How is your knowledge of mythical Scandinavian creatures?

I believe that the people posting here with complaints about the Apple Watch causing them pain are being honest. But, that doesn't mean they are correct. Unfortunately, lots of people have had inadequate science education and are susceptible to various theories about health and medicine that are not based on the known laws of physics, including "EMF sensitivity".

I really thought I was crazy too. But the pain was in my left wrist area so I switched the watch to my right arm and it was the same pain. It is tender to the touch. I'm not going to wear the watch for a while and see what happens.

S34NHarr wrote:

I have same issue. Seems like some sort of radiation from the watch is causing it. Can not be good for you whatever it is. I have joint pain in my wrist hand and forearm including my elbo from it.

No, it's not at all likely that it has anything to do with "radiation". What is more likely is that the convex back of the watch is pressing against your wrist in such a way as to cause you pain. There is sufficient variation in human anatomy that there will be some people for who the watch is uncomfortable. Try wearing it just a it looser or a little further up your wrist, toward your elbow.

If you're experiencing that much joint pain, you should also consult your doctor.

I, too, am experiencing deep wrist/hand pain. I have read a lot of comments here and I even took part in the "TEST" of wearing the watch completely shut off. NO PAIN with the watch turned off. VERY painful after a long day a wearing the watch while it is turned on. I'm so disappointed by the results. I really like my apple watch series 2. I've considered purchasing the 3, but why should I give more money to Apple and be stuck with another watch that is painful to wear.

Jaynine908 wrote:

I, too, am experiencing deep wrist/hand pain. I have read a lot of comments here and I even took part in the "TEST" of wearing the watch completely shut off. NO PAIN with the watch turned off. VERY painful after a long day a wearing the watch while it is turned on.

It would only be a truly valid test if you didn't know whether or not the watch was turned on. Perception of pain has a highly subjective component and confirmation bias is a powerful thing.