Carpal tunnel syndrome afflicts countless computer users. I’ve battled it myself a few times, and I’ve found a couple of methods that help me prevent it.
For instance, since I’m right-handed and have only had carpal tunnel in the right wrist, I’ve switched my mouse to the left hand. Aside from preventing the pain, I can move the mouse pointer on screen while I write notes using my Livescribe Echo smartpen.
Here’s another tip: switch from a mouse to a trackpad. Trackpads, those pointing devices on notebook computers, have long been available but Apple really started the ball rolling on desktop-based models when it launched its Magic Trackpad. You can now buy models from other manufacturers that work with either Windows or Mac OSX computers.
This video explains the difference between Apple’s Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad, but Windows-compatible trackpads share many of the Apple device’s attributes so the video will help users of either operating system understand trackpads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0_IMD_gd4Q