Magnetic Jewelry Therapy

Pain in Hands from Using an HP Laptop?

I have an HP Pavillion dv6000 laptop. Every time I type on the keyboard, my hands rest on either side of the touch pad. There is a lot of heat eminating from this area, and before too long there is a dull ache in both of my hands. It has nothing to do with my wrists or fingers being tired, it is the palms of both of my hands -but only when they are resting below the keyboard as I type. when I pull my hands away, thee is immediate relief. And I suspect it is more than just heat causing the pain -perhaps electro-magnetic charge or something???? This is troubling because it means I cannot use my laptop away from home for typing papers, unless I have brought my wireless keyboard with me -but that is not always practical. Is anyone out there experiencing this with the same or a different make of laptop? What about Macs?

Public Comments

1. I don't know about the HP laptop, but I have never had this problem with PC laptops or my MacBook (Non intel iBooks were much cooler). However all current brands of laptops do tend to become very hot. Consider getting a laptop fan to go under your laptop. Why not try voice recognition software it would save a lot of typing, but make sure you get a good microphone.
2. That's interesting. I've had RSI (repetitive stress injury) from using the mouse for endless hours a day and it took me a year to figure out how to get rid of it - but pain from the actual heat of the laptop. It is best to use your external KB when you can and try to float your hands. However, since that is not always practical, there are laptops that do not produce as much heat. In general "the more powerful" a laptop is the hotter it is going to get. You might look at more "travel" laptops with smaller screens and longer battery life. My MacBookPro gets pretty warm but my wife's iBook stays room temp. There are also "chiller pads" you can try to cool down the laptop. Some are just aluminum plates and some actually pulg into the USB to run a fan. Of course, added peripherals make the laptop work more so not sure I understand that approach but then again I have never used them. There are definitely some laptop models that hardly get warm at all. You can also set your laptop to various energy usage modes in the settings so you might make sure it is on an energy conservation mode. It will run slower but may not get as hot.
3. not sure i can help, can try nevertheless i. please make sure your laptop is resting on a firm and flat surface. if you are using it on your lap or in bed > place a hardboard below laptop. bottom is suction and left mostly is delivery of the hot air. allows adequate cooling that way ii. have you tried it on batteries alone and does the same phenomena occur., that you mention electro-magnetics ... just trying to find out iii. another thing you could try > cover the sides, where your palm rests with stickers or paper or such. use it for a day or more and checkout if they help iv. is that part where palm rests metal or non-metal & just btw, http://www.babblefish.com/babblefish/laptopjohnny/about.htm & http://www.laptop-ergonomics.com/ for some reading, no do not buy it, lol
4. Call HP and report the problem. Other customers might have a similar issue and if it really is an electrical charge then that means the hardware is faulty and HP would be responsible for fixing it or replacing the computer. Electrical charges are not safe and can get serious so I would get in contact with HP an dhave something done about this immediately.
5. I have had this HP Pavilion for three years and have done a lot of adjustments to get everything just right. I have it on a Rubbermaid adjustable laptop stand (mesh) that raises it up and lets air circulate underneath it. Heat was my main concern and this has solved that. I have a gel pad to rest my palms on and to raise my hands up for a better keystroke angle. I have also been through a half dozen chairs and many more cushion combos to get things just right.