Hands go numb, tingle from trackpad

The relatively simple solution for me was to buy stickered covers for both the macbook and normal trackpads. Do it sooner than later. At this point I'm still not sure if it's battery or the glass itself. The trackpad are made of glass, and since glass doesn't normally conduct electricity, my alternative suspicion is that over time the glass isn't resistant enough to scratches which over time causes microabrastions to the finger. Thus I welcome Apple's recent trend toward sapphire with interest. I suspect they are aware of this long standing problem and are taking steps and investments to address that first with iPhones, which I also bought plastic sheet cover stickers for

Anyway now my tingling sensation is subsiding; I put up with it for 8 months so your results may vary based on your usage intensity

I have the same "problem" the tingling sensation. However, it goes away if I unplug it. But it doesn't happen everywhere, it depends upon where (office 1, office 2, home) I plug it in, and office 2 is the worst. It must be electrical.

Has anyone else had their fiingers swelling up and getting tiny rashes and or cuts on the insides of first and second bends on their right hand middle finger. I also noticed a very tingleing sensation when resting my hand on the laptop, almost an electrical feeling when touching the computer with the plams of my hands only when the laptop is plugged in these sensations occur while touching both the left and right sides near the lower part of the speakers. Sometimes it occurs the most when I can feel the harddrive spinning inside my computer while playing a game or a high performace software. I have the newest style of electical cord. But it feels like a very small electical shock is occuring. As far as the rashes, on my finger, I first suspected electical shock that was causing irritation to my middle finger while using the track pad, but like you say it is made of glass, which does not conduct electricity. The glass having small scratches in it that could cause my finger tips to become numb or sore also happens and that would explain the finger tips but the rashes further up on my middle finger make me suspect that a small amount of radiation is occuring or other allergic or senestivity while toching the trackpad. It only occurs on my middle finger. Orignally When I showed the pictures of my swollen finger to apple, and sent pictures of my very swollen battery that was expanding the case making it impossible to click with the track pad, they replaced my my mother board track pad, and case, they did not tell me what the problem was that caused my hand to become hurt, but orignally ensured me that the battery was not leaking and that it was not caused by the battery. My apple support advisor sent the pictures to the enginnering team and she replied saying that they would cover the repair of my computer. The whole phone call started when I assumed it was the battery leaking that caused my injury, and they were insisting that the battery could not leak, and they were going to just charge me for a new battery, I kept insiting that the injury was caused by the computer and eventually they agreed, and I didn't have to pay for the battery or for the replacement of the other parts, that I suspect were the real problem. I don't know what makes up the trackpad, is it Mercury, or what causes the trackpad to register a click, I assume that part is the problem. Either way, with the laptop I have now that was repaired, I can still feel the same electrical shock.. My finger hasn't swollen since, but I assume If i use it regularly there is a chance of it happening again. Apple is aware of whatever orignally caused the injury to my finger, but they wouldn't tell me what "the problem was" however I was happy to have my computer replaced so I didn't take it any further..

Just a warning to watch out for rashes or swelling on your middle finger that you use the track pad with, I know there is something wrong with these models that cause it, and if i continued to use it who knows how bad my finger would have gotten, I used it for quite a while and noticed one day my finger became very very sore and I was using my computer and relaised hey the soreness is just on one finger, and I was having a hard time evening using the trackpad, I finally called apple realizing this and it suddently all made sense.

Kodi Lane wrote:

1. Sometimes it occurs the most when I can feel the harddrive spinning inside my computer

2. I know there is something wrong with these models that cause it

3. make me suspect that a small amount of radiation is occuring

4. they did not tell me what the problem was that caused my hand to become hurt.....swollen battery under trackpad

5.and they were insisting that the battery could not leak

1. Your macbook Air doesnt contain a hard drive, rather a SSD with no moving parts inside your Air except for the fan.

2. Not true at all.

You may have the extremely rare condition of being allergic to aluminum alloys

3. Absolutely not possible.

If you are getting a shock of any variety, I assume you are outside the USA? Use the supplied charger extension cord to ground your power better.

4. if you continued to use your macbook Air while the battery was swollen that was a big mistake.

offgassing of a ruptured cell or lithium compounds could have caused a skin reaction.

5. lithium poly batteries dont leak, but they can offgas a lithium compound that your skin could be reactive to, Lithium salts and compounds are often cause of allergic reactions.

macbook pro... 17" inch.. I live in california you're dumb, my computer was already replaced...

for unknown reasons that apple wouldn't spill the beans on, I continued to use while the battery was swollen because the indicator light said battery needs checked by apple retailer at your earliest conviniance.. but "you can continue to use your computer normally"

i forget the default message

This is the MacBook Air forum, however the current Pros are identical to the Air, no hard drives and likewise lithium polymer battery cells.

There is no sensor inside any notebook or macbook or any laptop by any mfg. to detect a swollen battery,... As such nobody should use any notebook upon any given indication of a swollen battery.

Peace

Read my entry earlier in this thread on this page. My tingling started with the external trackpad. After 6 months of use, I thought I was going mad. But I wasn't. I later bought a Macbook and found the tingling sensation would occur with both trackpads. As mentioned earlier, my simple solution was to buy a sticker to cover both trackpad surfaces. Took a while digging on Amazon to find the right ones. Now my tingling after 2 months of cover is subsiding to point of mild rough numbness with the sharp pain gone. That I procrastinated for 2 months and spent 8 whole months putting up with the pain until I absolutely couldn't even browse the web. Paging back in Safari using trackpad gesture made me pull out the mouse for a while.

Like I alluded to earlier, my suspicion is the trackpads' glass surface getting scratched with repeated use rubbing against it causing micro abrasions. I do press down on the trackpad fairly persistently just like I type fairly hard preferring tactile keyboards and all. I also found the tingling occurring albeit not as painfully when using the iPhone for extended periods of time (also bought a cover for that). That's what gave me the idea that it was the glass in both phone and trackpads that was getting scratched; after noticing smears and micro scratches on my iPhone, it occurred to me the same scratches was happening with the trackpad though with the aluminum finish it would not be as apparent as the phone.

In any event, get the stickered covers for your trackpads and phone touch screens. See if that also solves it for you.

ElRojito wrote:

anyone complaining about the Apple external trackpad that uses the same components

A: almost nobody is using an external trackpad with a macbook

B: the angles and ergonomics on the external trackpad are totally different.

I'm going to suggest here that what you are experiencing is most likely related to repetitive stress - such as carpal tunnel syndrome. That can be from the position of your hands as you are using the device. Resting your hand on the device is actually the wrong thing to do (my sister in law is a physical therapist). Honestly it sounds like an ergonomics problem. I have personally had carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and the numbness and tingling you describe are exactly what happens. Surgery fixed it for me.

While the Mac will tell you that a battery needs service or replacement, it has no way of knowing if the battery is swollen. It seems common sense to me to not use it if it is swollen. Would you use swollen batteries in anything else, even a flashlight?

For many months I have been experiencing the same symptoms discussed in this forumn. I never doubted that the tingling and numbness are real, and I fairly can rule out any suspition that these symptoms are the result of bad posture or any ergonomic flaws or improper hand positioning on the laptop . I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with the device itself, a Macboo Pro. I feel the tingling whenever i touch any surfuce area on the laptop and not only the trackpad. And I would feel the same sensation with my other hand whenever I touched another person's skin lightly while using the laptop. I have ignored these observations for a long time because they were not too serious. But gradually the numbness in my finger tips was lasting longer, for hours and sometimes days, and it has been causing great discomfort using my laptop recently to the point that I decided to goolgle this issue and got to learn that i'm not the only one and the problem with my laptop is not a rare defect. I have been scrolling through the discussion forum with difficulty, waltering between fingers joints and knuckles, and typed this reply in the most awkward of ways because I can't use my index finger properly.

I have also noticed that the numbsness in my index finger gets worse when I use my iphone too. There's obviously an issue with Apple's products and touch technology, the problem is much bigger that it first appears and must be addressed seriously. For now I'm thinking of shifting to a desktop computer to minimize the damage.

"I feel the tingling whenever i touch any surfuce area on the laptop and not only the trackpad."

When you plug your computer into the power adapter, be sure that the power adapter is plugged into a properly-grounded AC outlet, using the 3-prong AC power cable.

I bought a 13" MBPro in December and had to return it after two weeks because I developed first severe tingling in my hands/fingers then terrible pain in my wrists, especially the right (I'm right-handed). A month or so after I returned it (and lost money), the pain went away, despite the fact that I was still doing a tremendous amount of work on my old 15" MBPro, which is truly on its last legs.

Yesterday, I bought a new 15" MBPro, hoping the original problem was linked to a smaller case and less room for my wrists, but the problem came back IMMEDIATELY. I feel like an idiot, and while I'm tired of giving Apple all my money, I can't imagine switching to a PC (I've only had one once in the past 20 years and didn't like it).

This is not simply carpal tunnel, because that can't come and go away as quickly as this does - I can't in two weeks on a new computer go from being fine to not being able to lift a pan, back to fine when I'm off that particular computer, and in discomfort again within hours on a new computer, two months later.

So my question to those of you who understand this mysterious pain/sensation is: have you been able to return your Macs or get an answer from Apple?

Thank you.

I have the same situation. It is extremely exacerbated when the laptop is plugged in even though it's a properly grounded outlet. Even when I have it plugged into a surge suppressor that's supposed to clean up the signal. It is the same on both a 4 year old MackBook Air and a 3 month old MackBook Pro, with and without surge suppressors and plugged into any location, at different wrist angles, etc. Much less when it's not plugged in, though it still occurs if I'm typing or 'mousing' for more than an hour.
I am forced to work for a bit, then plug it in and let it recharge while my fingers regain some feeling, then go back. Each time in the day for less time. By night it's driving me crazy even if I've only used it unplugged. I think I will be trying a grounding mat under it. Not too easy though since I work from a lot of varied locations including on the bed.

Sure can Mm. Drama. Your keyboard is too high. It's recommended that your computer is on a flat, level, hard surface. If you insist on using your computer in another attitude, you're likely suffer some discomfort.

This solved it for me: try attaching your power supply brick to that long white extension cord that came with your MacBook instead of plugging the brick directly into the wall outlet. It has to be the extension that came with your MacBook, not just any extension cord. You'll need to first pop off the 2-prong connector that's on the brick and then pop on the white extension cord. I also notice the tingling finger problem goes away if I'm just running on battery.

Hope that helps someone.