Wrist Pain
holygoat: Go and read "It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome". It made a lot of sense to me.http://cow.org/r/?603b(Disclosure: that's got an affiliate link in it.)Lots of people get misdiagnosed, have surgery, and end up right back where they started.The authors explain that most people with persistent strain disorders are suffering from a combination of nerve adhesions, inflammation, and microscopic muscle spasms (tender points or knots) that cause pain, weakness, numbness, and so on. Actual carpal tunnel syndrome is much rarer than commonly thought.Their primary thesis is that treating a symptom does not help. Cutting your carpal tunnel will only shift the problem elsewhere. Adjusting your position will, at best, move the problem elsewhere. You need to treat the (several) root causes, working your way along the chain until you're nearly pain free.For example: pregnant women often get the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Advocating surgery for pregnant women is obviously insane, but it's commonly suggested for us programmers when the ol' "try wearing a wrist brace at night" trick doesn't work. Perhaps hammering away at a keyboard for thousands of hours might have something to do with it, rather than an actual problem with the carpal tunnel?The authors have a ton of material on the web, so you can read before buying the book:http://www.rsirescue.com/My personal approach: I use an ergonomic keyboard, of course. I eat better than I used to. I take breaks. I massage my forearms. I lift weights and exercise. I don't take ibuprofen. I don't stretch too much (my arm joints are hypermobile).Seriously, go read the book.