An Idea on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome...

This is something I just thought of, without any scientific proof. Also, this probably just applies to a portion of the carpal tunnel syndrome cases. And, probably I am not the first nor the only person to notice this.

My observation: frequent changes between the use of the keyboard and the mouse is bad for the wrists.

Since I work in the computer industry, I see quite a few people wearing a beige colored, inline-skating-wrist-guard-lookalike protectors around the office. Aesthetics aside, it seems to cause them great pain.

I also type a lot, not that fast, but I still sit in front of a computer, probably more than 8 hours a day, both at work and at home. My wrists have been okay. There are quite a lot of other people that I've worked with who type a lot, who don't seem to suffer from the pain. This can't be hereditary. This has to be how people use or manipulate their hands and wrists.

While talking to a coworker who recently got that anti-fashion (not that I care about fashion) wrist guards, I noticed this pattern. Those who have no problem seem to use keyboard shortcuts more. Some seem to try to avoid using mouse even.

I am definitely those kind of people who memorizes all the keyboard shortcuts. I hate having to switch between the keyboard and the mouse. Sometimes, I even get frustrated if the program doesn't provide a shortcut to do something. For me, it's more of a matter of efficiency (switching between input devices wastes time).

Of course the typing speed also affects the symptoms, but I think the most important issue is the frequent switches between the use of the keyboard and the mouse. While trying to quickly or minimally move the hand to reach for the mouse, one has to twist the wrist and put it into a funny position. So, if you are using the keyboard, learn the keyboard shortcuts and try to use it as long as you can. And when you are using the mouse, just keep on using the mouse without typing.

I believe this will help alleviate the pain for a lot of people.