Bulge in Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 15inch? (not from battery)

[Ghost Koi]

Hey guys! I am away oversees and can't figure out what is wrong with my Mac. I would really appreciate any help !

I have noticed in that past 24 hours that two rigid and straight "lines" have developed as bulges on my Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 15 inch.

They are noticeable when looking at it in the light and you can easily feel that they are raised above the case.

They appear on the outer shell of the case (right of the mouse and near the keyboard)

The bottom of the Mac is not warped. The hard drive also appears to be in good condition.

Initially, I thought this was due to a battery failure and removed the battery. Despite this, the battery was fine (not warped or bulging). I noticed that the two bulges in the case appear over where the hard drive is in a MacBook Pro.

There is also a "semi circular" bulge near these two lines.

What could be causing these if it is not the battery? Also, is there any chance that these bulges could expand?

Edit: After further inspection it appears to have occurred exactly over the bridge that holds the hard drive in place. (the long black piece with the two screws in it).

Edit: I have added a picture. Sorry, they are really hard to see.

Here are the two lines- they are exactly the size of the black bar that holds the hard drive in place. It is also near the IR receiver.

Note (the bulge is directly under the arrow keys.

Here are the components directly under the bulge. Does anything look out of place?

Thanks guys! Anything you can provide would really mean a lot to me!

 

[Ghost Koi]

Could this simply be a dent? If so, why would it be bulging outward?

 

[MushroomMan]

That is a strange one - have you inspected the area under where the HDD sits?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Not sure what you want us to say.

Your mac has warped rather spectacularly, I can think of nothing that could cause it opther than physical distress (and thats the stance apple will take) and no way to fix it short of replacing the case (at which point you'd be better off putting the money towards a new computer rather than fixing a 2010).

 

[scaredpoet]

Could this simply be a dent? If so, why would it be bulging outward?

Two possibilities:

1. Something very heavy was placed on that area, lightly crushing it, and pushing the top palmrest area inward against the hard drive brace, causing the metal to crease. The heavy object was removed and over time the aluminum lifted back up, giving that bulged outward appearance.

2. The Mac was bent at some point. Possibly bent back to appear straight, but still leaving signs of the structural stress.