By Dr. Mir Shithil, PT, DPT

I’ve spent years treating people with wrist pain -- engineers, designers, writers, coders, office workers, gamers. Different ages, different backgrounds, but the same story:

They didn’t think it mattered until it did.

If you’ve ever felt that tiny flicker of discomfort when you type, click, scroll, or lift something… you’re not alone. But more importantly, you’re not stuck.

What keeps most people stuck isn’t the pain itself. It’s the myths surrounding it.

Myths are comforting. They’re convenient little stories we tell ourselves so we don’t have to change anything. But myths are also expensive. They cost you comfort, function, and productivity. They turn something small into something chronic.

I will walk you through the four wrist pain myths I see most often -- see my video below or go deeper on why believing these myths keep people hurting longer than they need to.

Myth #1: “Wrist pain is unavoidable.”

This is the myth I hear most:

“With all the hours I spend on a computer, this is just part of the deal.”

Except it isn’t.

Yes eight out of ten people will experience wrist pain at some point in their life. That doesn’t make it destiny. That makes it common. And common problems usually have common causes.

Wrist pain isn’t a punishment for working hard or being on a device. It’s usually a symptom of habits, hand posture, keyboard height, awkward mouse reach that no one ever taught you to notice.

The good news? Habits are changeable.

If you haven’t yet explored the basics, start with this guide I created on 4 Ways to Prevent Wrist Pain.

A few small adjustments can dramatically reduce stress on your wrists. You don’t need to overhaul your life. You just need awareness and a willingness to experiment.

Myth #2: “Wrist pain is short-term.”

I call this the “it’ll go away” myth.

People brush off early symptoms because they’re mild. A little tingling. A tiny ache. A moment of stiffness.

But here’s the truth:
Poor ergonomics create chronic conditions.

Not occasionally. Routinely.

Carpal tunnel.
Upper extremity nerve pain.
Muscle and tendon dysfunction that lingers for months or even years.

I see it every week. Someone comes in and says, “It started three months ago, but I figured it was nothing.” By the time the pain forces them to act, it’s no longer a simple fix.

Your wrists are talkative.
They whisper before they shout.

Ignoring them doesn’t make the discomfort temporary -- it makes recovery longer.

Myth #3: “It doesn’t impact my work.”

If you spend 6+ hours of your day clicking, typing, lifting, or tapping… wrist pain absolutely affects your work.

But most people don’t connect the dots.

They think pain is personal and productivity is professional -- two separate silos.
In reality, they’re deeply intertwined.

One-third of all workplace injury costs come from carpal tunnel and back pain.
One-third!

When your wrists hurt, your speed drops.
When your speed drops, your accuracy drops.
And when your accuracy drops, everything takes longer.

Wrist pain doesn’t just slow down your work, it slows down your life.

Your energy, your focus, your enjoyment of the day.

If ergonomics were as visible as broken chairs or blown lightbulbs, no one would tolerate bad workstation setups.

But because the damage happens quietly, we tend to wait.

Myth #4: “Fixing it is too expensive.”

Ergonomic tools are often seen as “nice-to-haves.”
Bonuses. Perks. Optional upgrades.

But let’s look at the numbers:

For every $1 an employer invests in ergonomics, they get $1.78 back.

Better focus.
Fewer injuries.
Less fatigue.
More productivity.

It’s one of the simplest, most cost-effective investments any workplace -- or individual -- can make.

And most solutions aren’t expensive anyway. A wrist-friendly setup does not require a remodel. Often, the biggest improvements come from the smallest changes:

Proper wrist support instead of a flat hard surface.
A keyboard and monitor at the correct height.
The right kind of support under your forearm.

Which leads me to an easy, practical place to start…

Where to Begin: Two Small Changes With a Big Impact

You don’t need a full ergonomic overhaul to reduce wrist pain. Most people simply need to understand two foundational elements: posture habits and equipment choices.

Here’s where I recommend beginning:

1. Learn the 4 simple ways to prevent wrist pain.

I put together a straightforward guide on the fundamentals -- hand position, posture, micro-breaks, and alignment:  4 Ways to Prevent Wrist Pain

This is the upstream solution -- fix the root cause before it becomes something bigger.

2. Choose the right ergonomic mouse pad.

A mouse pad seems like a small thing until you realize your wrist rests on it for hours every day.

A proper ergonomic mouse pad reduces compression, supports tendon glide, and keeps your wrist in a neutral position. It’s a surprisingly powerful shift for such a simple tool.

If you’re not sure where to start, I created a full 2025 guide to help you understand what matters and what doesn’t: How to Choose the Best Ergonomic Mouse Pad for Your Desk in 2025

Think of your mouse pad as the “shock absorber” for your wrist.
If you’re going to be clicking thousands of times today, that surface matters.

The Bigger Picture

Wrist pain is not an inevitability.
It’s a signal.

A signal that something in your environment is mismatched with the way your body is designed to move. And the beautiful thing about signals is that they guide us toward better choices.

I don’t want you waiting for the pain to become loud.
I want you to catch it when it’s still whispering.

A few informed decisions today can save you months of discomfort later.

Work better.
Hurt less.
And give your wrists the support they’ve always given you.