Have you tried it?

(edit)

Consider replacing your standard wedge mouse with a trackball.

Not one of those dinky Logitech trackballs, by the way.

I haven't had any issues with it, though there definitely was an adjustment period when I first started using a trackball.

Kensington and logitech haven't really improved their trackballs.

There's a few new elecom models for your fingers and a new startup has almost got a new one ready for sale.

https://www.gamingtrackball.com/pages/how-to-buy


Mouse design itself has stagnated with the same stupid shapes and silly lights and wonky sensors claiming ridiculous DPI that is fake.

Stretch, stretch, stretch and just in case you forget; stretch!

Whenever you're idle, thinking about what to type next, sitting at a loading screen, massage and stretch your fingers, hands, wrists and forearms. You can use the desk or the wall or anything as leverage if you need.

Whenever you're out exercising try to incorporate something to include those trouble spots. Resistance bands are a great start.

I had the same problem. I'm not able to use mice any more. I use a thumb operated trackball.

I use an old wired logitech trackball. They don't make them any more, unfortunately, so they cost a lot on ebay. Logitech only sells a wireless thumb trackball now.

There are some other thumb trackballs from Japan or China, but I can't comment on their quality and don't remember what they're called.

Other than that, I have mostly switched to using a controller whenever possible and using a program that converts keyboard and mouse input to controller when the game doesn't support it.

I suggest the thumb trackball first, but I've come to like playing with a controller more now. It's just more comfortable.

Stop if you hurt! You may need to stay off the mouse for days or use the other hand.

Exercise but wait until your wrist is better before doing any more than the lightest. I use a rubber band, finger flexing and grip strengthener myself.

If it gets bad, putting on a hand support before going to bed can help.

If you eventually need/want to control the mouse/keyboard with the controller, there's a small program called Gopher that do it. Steam does it also. I've used both on the tablet, before Microsoft implement the touchscreen trackpad.
Another option are those "single handed controller" joysticks, usually the firmware include mouse/keyboard functions. I have a el-chepo bluetooth one that bought on a local shop for 1.5€, it's trash as expected but if the implementation is good, the product may work very well. I've seen some over the years that looked quite well made.

Sorry all, I took a short break away from the computer to rest my wrist. I certainly did not expect so many actionable suggestions like adjusting my chair height, relearning my hand/arm/mouse movements and using a trackball/controller. I'll be going through each and every suggestion for days. Time to give Amazon some money :(

I agree! Same happened to me years ago and like an idiot, I did *not* stop and got worse: to the point that it took one month to recover and it hurt so bad just to hold a fork! Have since switched to an ergonomic mouse, but, the best thing to do (after you've healed, naturally) is to take breaks and exercise your wrist. Now when I game, I program a timer on my phone for 45 minutes, then I take a 15 minute "stretching" break, rinse and repeat.

Ouch!

There's already been a lot of great advice in this thread, but hopefully this can help too:

A little background - I've spent the last couple of years successfully healing from wrist and hand pain, due to my occupation and my gaming hobby. I seriously thought it might be arthritis, especially as the pain was becoming increasingly severe. Tried many times to stop and rest, and though it helped, the issues kept coming back and for longer.
Since quitting was not an option for me, I had to see a physiotherapist. The info she gave me was incredible, so hopefully it helps you too!

A lot of wrist and hand pain may not be 100% due to injury to your wrist/hand itself. There is a major nerve, along with a series of tendons, that run down your neck, through your arm, and to your fingertips. If there are any irritations to this track - such as from overuse, outright injury, or bad posture - you can feel pain in your wrist/hand. This also includes tightening of muscles anywhere along this track, that in turn put pressure on your tendons, which is why you feel pain elsewhere.

For some immediate relief, do these exercises at least once a day, preferably right before computer use:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Stretches and Exercises
- Hand, Wrist, Neck, and Shoulder Stretches and Exercises for Artists (you can skip the finger webbing stretches and the rubber band exercise)

Get Workrave, a free and open source timer that you can customise to take short breaks: https://test.workrave.org/download/

I also recommend seeing a physiotherapist to give your arms, neck and upper back a thorough massage. You can also self-massage your arm, at least. If you have tightening higher up, you'll need someone else's help.


Now, you have to look at the cause. It might be overwhelming at first to pinpoint the exact issue (it was for me), so sometimes you do have to take a long hard look at everything:

- Check your ergonomics:
Check out this diagram and compare your current set up with it.
A handy note: you can compensate somewhat by using cushions under your feet and butt to get you to the correct height. Of course, a good desk and chair are preferable.

You also want to make sure of the following:
-- If arms are reaching forward, you need to tuck your chair further in.
-- If your neck is reaching forward, you need to either move the monitor closer or you might need glasses (turns out I did haha).
-- If you feel scrunching up/raising of collarbone or shoulders, your desk is too high / chair is too low.
-- Keep your peripherals positioned in a way that, from your elbows, your forearm is coming forward and angled slightly towards the centre of your body, not dead straight ahead. There should be a straight line from your elbow through to your fingertips.
-- Keep your keyboard at a slightly tilted angle (eg, using your left hand on WASD, move the right side of the keyboard slightly towards your chest). This lets your forearm, wrist, and fingers rest naturally.


- Check your back posture: Both at your place of gaming, and your daily life. Do you stand AND sit upright with a natural curve, without overextending your chest/hips? Do you have proper back (and if possible, neck) support when you sit?

- Check your neck posture:
-- Forward head posture. You can also do this test against a wall to see if it applies to you.
-- Upper Crossed posture

If you find that you do have either of these posture issues, there are certain exercises and tips I'm happy to share. I just don't want to waste your time by typing it out if it's not needed. :>


- Avoid crossing your legs, leaning to one side, and/or resting your chin in your hand. It messes up your posture.

- As others have said: learn to aim with your arm, not your wrist

And while it's not as critical as everything else, you might want to look into hand strength (it can help prevent the overcompensation-tightening of the muscles near your elbow, that then lead to hand pain):
Get a squishy/squeezy toy - less like a firm stress ball, more like a foam squishy, or playdough - something that lets you fully make a fist but provides some resistance. Give it a 10-20 hard squishes, at least once a day.

Sorry for the info dump, but hope this helps :)

I was gonna say the same thing but you beat me to it. maybe that or carp but I'm sure its the first one. I do get that myself cause my desk is higher then my chair and I need to fix that shit asap.

I finally broke down and picked up a cushion for my wrist - a small bean bag - that elevates my wrist. The ache is gone. I have a similar one for my keyboard.