Greetings,I just wanted to acknowledge some of the responses and express my thanks for the feedback I’ve received.Ryan, I got a kick out of your comment about a potential spam-bot. By day I pimp ergonomics and by night I sell miracle spring water ;-)Sawwee, I wish you the best of luck with both of your operations. I had a doctor who had severe carpal tunnel. He had the surgery in both hands and I had to interrogate him and find out whether or not it worked. At the time I was seriously contemplating surgery for ulnar nerve neuropathy, so my interest level prompted me to ask him a few questions. He told me the surgery was an absolute success and in general, the procedure has a great success rate. Of course, anecdotal accounts don’t prove much. You’ll have to keep us posted on whether or not you’re still having symptoms after the surgery.Boulasses, I think you’ve identified my problem. The issue is that I’m too cheap and cash-strapped to actually pay for top-of-the-line ergonomics, hence I want to win the money at the poker tables. Unfortunately, the long-term consequences of trying to win the ergonomic equipment are so substantial that I’m better off scraping together whatever petty cash I can find before playing. Basically, I’m losing money (based on future health costs) and value (painful sensations and anxiety) by playing at my level. That is, if I don’t take immediate action to mitigate the threats posed to my hands by playing online poker.Kaiserzozz, thanks for recommending an ergonomic mouse pad. I’m currently using an ergonomic Microsoft keyboard, which is a Godsend. I also have an ergonomic mouse, but I’ve never looked at an ergonomic mouse pad. I’m going to have to pick one up the next time I go shopping for electronics. Also, thanks for the suggestion to alternate hands. I recently placed my laptop on top of a stand and made its monitor parallel with my eyes. My wireless keyboard is on its own table and now I have a lot more room to move my hands. And, I can alternate my hands whenever I choose. This has resulted in a modest improvement and I enjoy playing a lot more.Chipleader, thanks for the two recommendations (I.e. handshoe mouse and WOWPAD). I’ll have to do some online research. Last weekend I bought a new ergonomic mouse. It was a stationary mouse that had a trackball, which was manipulated with the thumb. This was a horrible alternative as it felt awkward to manipulate and quickly made my thumb sore.  Over time, I suspect this mouse would simply create a new kind of trauma. I’m not sure how the handshoe mouse works, but I’ll do some research. Thank you.Piratematerial, I’ve also noticed my hands hurt under the exact same conditions you specified. I think stress simply amplifies the problem as I’m more prone to tense my muscles and probably make more exaggerated mouse movements. A little meditative mindfulness can go along ways in playing w/ less stress.IB_fishing, thanks for the link to that innovative poker controller. I wasn’t aware there was such a product on the market, especially one that is popular enough to be sold by several major retailers. The price point was very reasonable. Also, I liked the fact that it is wireless and has numerous functions. My only reservation would be that the controller could conceivably replace one type of trauma with a new one.Thank you,Jeffrey aka REBTgenius