Sorry to hear about your CTS.

I have never had pain from gaming but on some hack and slash type games if i play them for a few hours without a break i find it very difficult to flex my fingers, almost as-though they lock in place but thats the worst that happens to me

Wow, you have my sympathies bud. I am no youngster, and I too will sometimes get the ole wrist/arm/ and even some elbow pain after some marathon gaming. When it startss to bother me enough, I switch to some console gaming, which never seems to give me any problems, then eventually back to PC when all is well. One thing that I think helps me, is that, I am a bit of a gym rat, and go out of my way to do wrist curls, extensions, ect., during my workouts, just because of this. Also, my work (remodeling contractor) is very physical and varied (I am very hands on), and I think that also helps a lot. I know of at least two friends, who have had to quit thier jobs as auto mechanics, because of suvere carpal tunnel, who were also somewhat gym rats as well...so varied physical activity obviously doesn't necessarily prevent or help, but perhaps is certainly worth considering. Hope you find some remedy or routine that may help you extend your gaming fun. No doubt about it, CTS just plain sucks :-(

As someone that has suffered (and got successfully cured avoiding operation) from carpal tunnel syndrome, I strongly advice you to seek a second opinion and have a thorough examination to rule out other possible causes, as the symptoms you describe do not fit into the typical carpal tunnel syndrome ones - good illustration in the link.

If the doctor is not thorough with the examination, it's not hard to mislabel your condition as carpal tunnel syndrome with little consequences for the doctor as there's no actual drug-based treatment for it, it's all about you changing the way you do certain things or completely giving up certain things/ activities either for an extended period of time or for ever (depends on the severity of your condition).

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but I advise to try a trackball. Specifically the Logitech M570. When I use a regular mouse I can only use it for max 5 minutes before my hand and wrist are just causing me excruciating pain. But with the M570, I've played for 3+ hours with almost no pain, the minor pain coming towards the end of my gaming session and after five minutes the pain goes away.

It takes a little bit of getting used to moving with your thumb instead of the wrist, but it is a lot easier than those mice you are talking about. I've also played System Shock 2 with it, so FPS games are no problem.

Not true. Occasionally they'll wind up better at it than other folks. But 99+% of the time they just wind up wasting a lot of time and don't achieve what they would have achieved had they not had the disability.,

I know the media likes to paint a rosy picture, but realistically there are consequences that come from pouring that much energy into overcoming a label. Just like most people wouldn't be wiling to hit 2,000 golf balls, tape up their bleeding hands, hit another 2,000 golf balls before playing a day's worth of gulf to become a pro-golfer, the non-disabled aren't generally going to spend the effort on those things because it's not worth the time or effort.

Generally yes, but often times they have to do these sort of things for the stuff they love to do.

I know I still want to end up playing video games even if I become disabled later in life.

CTS has killed my guitar playing, then it killed my keyboard playing, origami folding, i can't even paint walls in an orderly efficient fashion, plastering and grinding is out of the question. While we can avoid surgery, it just won't get any better i'm afraid.

What isn't true? I never said all or even the majority of disabled people end up developing extraordinary skills like that. Just saying that it's possible, and quite remarkable what a person can achieve with enough determination and patience. Paralympics, anyone?

Also, you have an odd definition of "wasting time". If someone works hard in order to reach their goals, I'd hardly call that "wasted time".
Well, he mentioned that he might as well play the next generation of games on console instead, since then he won't have to get a new PC at about three times the price of a PS4 or XBone. And he'd be playing with a gamepad either way.

On the other hand, aside from a greater range of input devices, PC games do have other potential advantages, such as mods. Plus, in the long run he'd be saving cash on additional hardware, and of course the actual games. Looks like next gen console games are going to be even more overpriced. And overall an up to date PC is likely a better investment than a new console, since it's not limited to gaming.

I'd second trying a trackball. I've been using one for years after my wrist and forearm started bothering me while doing some stints on helpdesk / call center jobs. Trying to prevent it from getting worse.

Of course, I don't do FPS games or anything like that as I don't have the sharp reflexes some others have.

It's a rare occurrence for a person to achieve that level in spite of a disability. I've worked with the disabled in the past, and for every one that goes onto superior performance there's many who can barely keep up. It happens, but it's not anywhere near as common as people imagine and usually requires work that could better be directed elsewhere.

And yes, it's a waste of time. People waste all sorts of time on meaningless bullshit only to realize that they've been doing so when it's too late to do anything about it. Time spent mastering Starcraft is time not spent working on improving ones living conditions when not playing Starcraft.
With a track ball you're shifting the strain from the wrist to the thumb. Which is OK in the short term, but you run the risk of damaging the hand if overused.

CTS and such are repetitive use injuries and will eventually happen to anybody that repeats the motion often enough, fortunatly, in most cases fixing the conditions will slow the progression of the disorder. And virtually eliminate the risk if the ergonomics are addressed before there's a problem.

I still say that the claw hand will largely go away with finger tip push ups against a wall. If you spend time squeezing things, you have to ensure that the muscles on the back of the hand are given a similar work out. Otherwise you wind up with a hand that doesn't want to open properly because of the muscular imbalance.

With that approach, everything is a waste of time. Imagine all the things you could be doing instead of posting on these boards!

I'd argue that any time spent doing something which makes you happy, and/or something which is important to you, is time well spent. But since this probably isn't the time and place to have a philosophical discussion about the meaning of life, might as well drop this here. :P

As for the trackballs, I haven't used one in a while, but aren't they mostly operated with your fingertips? I guess it varies depending on the specific device. And in general using your thumbs should be fine for gaming ( at least a lot better than overstraining your wrists ), after all, the majority of current game controllers are operated primarily via thumb motions, and those don't seem to cause any noteworthy side effects. ( And it looks like that new Steam controller will rely even heavier on thumb input, with its touchpads. )

Well, anything you is just as meaningless or meaningful as you make it to be. Its all about realizing ones own values.

Someone will happily play StarCraft, Counter strike or whatever for decade(s) and be perfectly happy about it. If you got friends doing the same or even earn some living from that (some few do) - why not?

"Time spent working on improving ones living conditions" is rather vague you know.

Isnt doing stuff you -like- to do exactly that? ....ofcourse if youre just doing it out of habit and dont enjoy it one bit, its whole different matter. Many do exactly that.

Anyways, i would say that the value of something is measured in how good one is about it. Its like saying you cant enjoy jogging unless you can do Spartathlon at record speed.
I knew few guys who are totally disabled waist down, all fingers totally disabled and hands almost fully disabled (can move to some extend).

...they play fps on multiplayer and if you played against them say cod, you wouldnt be able to tell em apart from someone who isnt disabled. Sure they will never be leet pro's, but they are good enough to enjoy what they do.

Seeing them play live is quite something - but as they said it themselves, theyve had the time to practice...

I'm sorry to hear that, StingingVelvet. I hope you'll find the best possible solution.

I don't get the wrist pain however I spend time a lot with mouse dur to my work and free time activities and am concerned it will catch me one day. I plan on investing into improvements, so tips of others are appreciated a lot.

Besides my previous posts, ... leting go of your collection? *hint hint