I hope I'm not posting this too late to be of some help to the carpal tunnel sufferers out there, but here goes...
Being a professional guitar player for a number of years, I picked up a really helpful exercise to keep carpal tunnel at bay. The way I understand it, the condition develops when the muscles on one side of a "nerve tube" become stronger than on the other side (specifically when you are performing a repetive motion, such as twisting wire nuts or squeezing a pliers/strippers). This creates pressure on the tube, and in turn the nerve, which is that aching feeling too many of us are familiar with.
Here's what worked for me (and continues to work): On the hand most affected (Right hand for rightys, left for leftys), put all of your fingers together (including your thumb) like your going to make a shadow puppet dog. Now put a rubber band around all the fingers between the top and middle knuckels, then open your hand several times against the pressure of the rubber band. Start with a thin band, then increase the size (and therefor resistance) of the band over a few weeks time. I do this maybe once a day for a few minutes while playing on the computer or watching TV, or when I'm on a long highway drive.
The idea is that you build the muscles opposing the ones you use (and build) during the course of your job.
It worked for me as a guitarist, and it works for me now, even when I'm twisting wire nuts for 10 hours...
Hope this helps someone out there.
Please note: If you already have been diagnosed with CTS, might be a good idea to run this exercise past your doctor and see what he/she thinks before you start.
Good Luck!
