Apple Watch with Metal Inside Arm

[Christine1234]

I bought an Apple Watch series 9 from eBay and it should be here in a day or two. I bought the one that I did because I wanted to get 02 readings, in addition to being able to use all the other health monitoring features. A few years ago I broke my left arm into multiple pieces, and they put me back together with metal. The doctor said I'll never clear another scanner. I've been wearing a watch on my left arm since the 1960's, and it does not feel right not to have it there. Will the metal interfere with the Apple watch's ability to give accurate health readings? Will I need to switch to wearing it on my right arm for them to be accurate? TIA.

 

[jz0309]

I bought an Apple Watch series 9 from eBay and it should be here in a day or two. I bought the one that I did because I wanted to get 02 readings, in addition to being able to use all the other health monitoring features. A few years ago I broke my left arm into multiple pieces, and they put me back together with metal. The doctor said I'll never clear another scanner. I've been wearing a watch on my left arm since the 1960's, and it does not feel right not to have it there. Will the metal interfere with the Apple watch's ability to give accurate health readings? Will I need to switch to wearing it on my right arm for them to be accurate? TIA.

cannot remember seeing any posts here on MR re that particular question.
I suggest to contact Apple support to be sure.
My guess: no impact.

I don't know what "metal" they put into your arm, I broke my femur 10_ years ago and since have a Titanium rod in my leg, never set off any "alarm" at any security checkpoint ...

 

[jz0309]

I bought an Apple Watch series 9 from eBay and it should be here in a day or two. I bought the one that I did because I wanted to get 02 readings, in addition to being able to use all the other health monitoring features. A few years ago I broke my left arm into multiple pieces, and they put me back together with metal. The doctor said I'll never clear another scanner. I've been wearing a watch on my left arm since the 1960's, and it does not feel right not to have it there. Will the metal interfere with the Apple watch's ability to give accurate health readings? Will I need to switch to wearing it on my right arm for them to be accurate? TIA.

such an interesting question, not much showed up in a Google search other than if your metal is stainless steel, that might interfere with the compass, Titanium should not have any interference

can i put my Apple Watch series 8 on my w… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[Christine1234]

Thank you!!! I really appreciate the answer.

 

[jz0309]

Thank you!!! I really appreciate the answer.

Thinking some more, if there were a metal plate/object right under the sensor area, so kinda like between the 2 bones, then I could see a potential issue.
Do you have an X-ray of your arm to check where the metal is? Not asking you to share that, just so you know where it is.

 

[Christine1234]

Thinking some more, if there were a metal plate/object right under the sensor area, so kinda like between the 2 bones, then I could see a potential issue.
Do you have an X-ray of your arm to check where the metal is? Not asking you to share that, just so you know where it is.

No, I don't have an x-ray and have not seen one of it. I'm a total wuss about medical things, and try not to look.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I was unaware that Lindsey Wagner (Bionic Woman) was a member here.

 

[avro707]

few years ago I broke my left arm into multiple pieces, and they put me back together with metal. The doctor said I'll never clear another scanner. I've been wearing a watch on my left arm since the 1960's, and it does not feel right not to have it there. Will the metal interfere with the Apple watch's ability to give accurate health readings?

I have metal (titanium) in my hip and I don’t set off airport alarms. That said I take a report given to me when I left hospital just in case. I also walk funny and stand a bit off balance with one leg being shorter than the other.

Depending on where the metal in your arm is, it might affect the health readings of the watch.

 

[Christine1234]

I have metal (titanium) in my hip and I don’t set off airport alarms. That said I take a report given to me when I left hospital just in case. I also walk funny and stand a bit off balance with one leg being shorter than the other.

Depending on where the metal in your arm is, it might affect the health readings of the watch.

Thank you for the response. It sounds like I will need to try it for a while on each arm, then compare the results to check for any differences.

 

[kimjongbill]

I’m a doctor and I don’t imagine the metal in your arm would have any impact on the metrics the watch would use because it is looking at the superficial veins in your arm. As long as the watch has a clear line of sight, I don’t see any way the metal in your arm would have any bearing

 

[NoBoMac]

As mentioned earlier, maybe compass will be thrown off, but everything else should be ok. O2 and heart rate is done via skin, like the apps from early iPhone days that used the phone’s camera to detect color changes, pulsations. See following for how it’s done on the Watch.

Monitor your heart rate with Apple Watch - Apple Support

Learn how Apple Watch measures your heart rate.

support.apple.com

 

[Jackbequickly]

Decreased blood circulation might affect HR sensor. Was vascularity compromised? The metal you gain would be non ferrous so it should not effect the compass.

 

[Timpetus]

I can only see an issue if the metal is right under the skin and you have less blood flow right where the watch sits. It doesn't x-ray you, the light sensors only barely penetrate your skin to read heart rate, blood oxygen, etc. Not sure it would impact the ECG readings at all, those should still work fine.

 

[Christine1234]

I’m a doctor and I don’t imagine the metal in your arm would have any impact on the metrics the watch would use because it is looking at the superficial veins in your arm. As long as the watch has a clear line of sight, I don’t see any way the metal in your arm would have any bearing

Excellent, thank you! This was what I was hoping to hear.

 

[Christine1234]

Decreased blood circulation might affect HR sensor. Was vascularity compromised? The metal you gain would be no ferrous so it should not effect the compass.

I don't know if it was compromised, but my best guess is that it is fine. The breaks were on the half closer to the wrist, not the half closer to the elbow.

 

[Christine1234]

I can only see an issue if the metal is right under the skin and you have less blood flow right where the watch sits. It doesn't x-ray you, the light sensors only barely penetrate your skin to read heart rate, blood oxygen, etc. Not sure it would impact the ECG readings at all, those should still work fine.

Thank you!
Now, if the USPS will just quit sending it back and forth between Phoenix and Tucson and deliver it, things should be fine.

 

[goldmac2006]

If you plan to use the following asides due to heart rate monitoring or ECG being affected:
- Double Tap (for Apple Watch series 9 and newer, Apple Watch Ultra 2)
- AssistiveTouch and Quick Actions (Apple Watch series 8 and earlier, in lieu of double tap)

These options depend on the circulation and motion of your hands and wrist, so they may be compromised if you wear your Apple Watch on that side.

Therefore, it’s recommended to wear your Apple Watch on the wrist that isn’t fixated.

 

[ZoeLou]

You said you don't know the nature of the metal in your arm so I don't know how helpful this is.
I have had a titanium plate in my arm since 2009. Its on my ulna, which is the bone on the same side as your pinky, and its about 10cm long.

I've been wearing an Apple watch since day 1, Series 0 in 2015. Never experienced any issues. I used all the ECG, heart rate, O2 sensory etc with no obvious issues. I don't really use the compass, but again I haven't noticed any issues. I will say, I've had the metal plate since day 1, so I suppose I might not notice if it has caused any issues. I have occasionally worn it on the other arm (without metal), and didn't notice any issues.

TLDR; you should be fine

Edit: I realise I said Issues a LOT. Sorry about that.

 

[aja_96]

Here I am thinking if OP is asking whether metal API runs on arm, and getting confused why anyone would need metal API on their wrist