Hands go numb, tingle from trackpad

I have this exact probem and it is really annoying...I've used PC's before and didn't have it with them...I noticed i have the same issue but not as much when I use my iPhone but over a much longer period of time. I think it has a lot to do with the fact both use a capacitance technology rather than a resistive and thus it works by storing an electric charge(which human skin is good at doing...and why a lot of other surfaces don't work...but you can try a stylus that you'd use for an iPad and it will work on your track pad). My prediction is later down the road people will realize this isn't as comfortable and perhaps not even good for humans in the longterm and somebody will have to innovate something...I thought of buying Apple's mouse but it uses the same technology I think so I'm just going to get a cheap optical mouse. Apple has really got to figure this out.

I have this exact problem as well. It started a few months ago, and is now a very annoying condition, much stronger now. I have a Mac-Book Pro (late 2013), an Apple mouse, and an Apple track pad, which is used extensively every single day. I am not trying to implicate Apple products in any way, I could have the same sensation with other devices, trackpads, wireless mouse, etc...I don't know, because I only use my computer/equipment, which happens to be all Apple products. This condition is now at the point that anytime I touch my wireless mouse, trackpad, or the trackpad on my laptop, I immediately get the "pens and needles sensation' that literally feels like my hand is sucking a very low electrical current right out of the device. This is very strange and the sensation is now occurring randomly throughout the day in my right hand and slightly up my right arm even when not using my computer. I can place my left hand on the mouse or either trackpad and nothing happens...no "pens and needles" sensation. And to be very clear this has nothing to do with any sort of restricted blood flow to my right arm or hand as has been suggested in other post, which is absolutely ridiculous. I think that anyone experiencing restricted blood flow where your arm or hand "goes to sleep" would quickly realize the cause and effect.

I get this tingling feeling in my finger(s) too. It is only in the finger that is touching the trackpad most often. It gets so uncomfortable that I start using my other fingers or my other hand. This is not carpal tunnel (I've had that before.) It does feel like an electromagnetic tingling whenever I glide my finger along the trackpad. When I've been using it for several hours in a row, the tingling can last for up to several days. I think I just need to get a mouse, though I will miss the efficiency of the trackpad. (More details: I plug in using the three-prong plug, I live in the USA, I have no other physical ailments in my hands.)

Cicer wrote:

Right, after talking with a physicist, I realized that perhaps it has more to do with the static electricity affecting my nerves?

You talked to the wrong person. You need to talk to a physician, not a physicist.

Yes, it could also be a good idea to talk to a physician. I wouldn't say a physicist is the wrong person to talk to though; I think it would be good to talk to several people with different backgrounds to help figure this out. Discussing the right term to apply to these wavelengths is very much in the realm of physics. I realized from him that I was using the wrong term of electromagnetic energy, and that static electricity may be more accurate. Besides, I have two physicists as my colleagues at work, so it was more convenient to talk to one during lunch about it. Next time I'm visiting my physician, I'll ask his opinion too, and how it may be affecting my body. Thanks for the suggestion.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Cicer wrote:

Right, after talking with a physicist, I realized that perhaps it has more to do with the static electricity affecting my nerves?

You talked to the wrong person. You need to talk to a physician, not a physicist.

Yes, it could also be a good idea to talk to a physician. I wouldn't say a physicist is the wrong person to talk to though; I think it would be good to talk to several people with different backgrounds to help figure this out. Discussing the right term to apply to these wavelengths is very much in the realm of physics. I realized from him that I was using the wrong term of electromagnetic energy, and that static electricity may be more accurate. Besides, I have two physicists as my colleagues at work, so it was more convenient to talk to one during lunch about it. Next time I'm visiting my physician, I'll ask his opinion too, and how it may be affecting my body. Thanks for the suggestion.

But in the end, I still don't know the accurate way to explain these sensations; I'm not sure any of us do at this point, which is why we're still discussing it. It is all kind of fascinating to explore.

Me too. I haven't had my MacBook long and I thought I was going mad at first. I am left handed and my whole left hand tingles as soon as I start using my MacBook and it travels up my arm. My arm and wrist feel heavy afterwards. I tend to rest my left hand on the side of the track pad. It is tingling now as I write this. The other day my 6 year old daughter came up to me when I was on my laptop and every time I touched her we both could feel a weird electrical sensation. Ive never experienced anything like it before. She said 'What is that mummy?' I said I don't know sweetie, it feels like an electrical current'. It wasn't an electric shock, it was just a weird tingling/vibration electrical current passing between us. Very weird and very worrying.

Leesa028 wrote:

Me too. I haven't had my MacBook long and I thought I was going mad at first. I am left handed and my whole left hand tingles as soon as I start using my MacBook and it travels up my arm. My arm and wrist feel heavy afterwards. I tend to rest my left hand on the side of the track pad. It is tingling now as I write this. The other day my 6 year old daughter came up to me when I was on my laptop and every time I touched her we both could feel a weird electrical sensation. Ive never experienced anything like it before. She said 'What is that mummy?' I said I don't know sweetie, it feels like an electrical current'. It wasn't an electric shock, it was just a weird tingling/vibration electrical current passing between us. Very weird and very worrying.

That is indicative of improper grounding (or "earthing" ). It's generally harmless, though it does field weird. It's not uncommon in iOS devices. Does this happen with all outlets? Or just the one? If it happens with just the one, you may need to have it check by an electrician. If it happens with all, I'd take the MacBook and the charger to your the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store (make an appointment first) and have them take a look at it.

I'm having the same experience. It used to take longer for my fingers to start numbing and tingling when I use my Apple iPhone. I'm able to text less and less now. Once, my smart phone actually bit me. My fingers were hurting but I wanted to finish a game, so I ignored the pain. Suddenly, it felt like something reached out and grabbed my whole hand. It felt something like a numbness coupled with an electrical shock. It really frightened me.

It's not tennis elbow, nor is it anything that happens any other time. It's worse when I play games, so I'm thinking the amount of radiation might be higher in more complex screens.

Telling my doctor won't help unless he has experienced the same thing... all he will do is order a bunch of useless tests. It has to be the phone. It's not a health issue; it's an iPhone issue. The powers that be don't want to recognize the problem because they don't want to validate problems that will cause sales to drop. It's cheaper for them to wait and settle lawsuits when the phones blow up and someone is badly injured, or their house burns down. Any thoughts?

Pat2hig wrote:

It's not tennis elbow, nor is it anything that happens any other time. It's worse when I play games, so I'm thinking the amount of radiation might be higher in more complex screens.

Telling my doctor won't help unless he has experienced the same thing... all he will do is order a bunch of useless tests. It has to be the phone. It's not a health issue; it's an iPhone issue.

Nonsense. Has your doctor had every illness you've ever had? Does the fact that they have not mean they are unable to diagnose and treat? If that were the case, there's be a whole lot of male obstetricians out of work. It would mean oncologists who've never had cancer would be unfit to diagnose it. Tests that don't turn up anything are still useful in that they rule out things, thus narrowing down the possibilities.

If you're experiencing pain, you have a health problem. You can ignore it in favor of conspiracy theories with no scientific validity. Or, you can see your doctor.

At a guess (I'm not a doctor), the reason that your hands hurt more the longer you play a game is because you're using your hands more and for longer in ways that tend to result in cramps and overuse. The very small amounts of non-ionizing EMF radiation produced by consumer electronics cannot cause the sort of problems you're describing. At most, it will make your hands warm or hot as the phone heats up when playing games for long periods of time.

The problem reads as though you're holding your arms lower than your hands.

same on my left hand..

did you get any help from apple?

i dont think they know this but i also think they are gonna ignore it..

what country do you live in? What kind of current and/or converter are you using for your Macbook? 😊

Take it into Apple. I'm sure they will take care of you.