Re:symptoms (Score 1)

Computer people rarely have CTS, which is common in jobs like food service and manufacturing. Someone I know who strings beads for a living had to have surgery on both her wrists. Symptoms of CTS usually include numbness and tingling of the middle finger, along with the familiar pain.

More likely you are suffering from tendinitis, which is generalized pain and soreness in one or both wrists and hands. If you use emacs often, and you have left-hand numbness and tingling in your little finger and along the back of your elbow (that 'hit your funny bone' feeling, which isn't funny at all), you have ulnar neuropathy. This is from the stretching of the nerve through repeated slamming of the control key with the left pinky.

In any case, you probably do not need surgery. One of the reasons why CTS surgery fails is that most people don't have CTS. Even if you do, you can probably substantially relieve the pain reduction without surgery.

1) Like others have noted, you need to work on proper posture, keyboard position, and chair adjustment. Not exciting, but required even if you do have surgery. Also, get enough sleep so that your body can recover from the day's damage. If you have 'emacs disease,' you could switch to vi. At least make sure you have a right-hand control key mapped and that you use it as often as the left. If your right hand hurts and you are right handed, it's probably the mouse. Get a good trackball.

2) Take your Tylenol or Advil to reduce the swelling and inflammation. This is not a case of just numbing it so you can do more damage; swelling reduces blood flow and prevents healing. Use tiger balm ointment and warm soaks also. I used to apply ointment to my hands and cover them with socks when I went to bed to keep the ointment warm.

3) Check out alternative medicine, even if you have to pay out-of-pocket. I started Chinese acupuncture when I began having bad problems with ulnar neuropathy. I added regular chiropractic care later, and keep up both treatments to stay ahead of the damage. I recommend both highly.

4) Your doctor may offer cortisone shots to reduce the inflammation and help healing.

5) Once you start feeling better, begin a program of regular gentle exercies to strengthen your wrists. Learn to juggle.

Remember that even if your health plan covers surgery, it's painful, requires lots of downtime, and exposes you to evils such as hospital-borne infections and hospital food.