Vertical mice don't resolve the carpel tunnel issue, you will still develop pain it'll just be a in different spot.
I agree. Changing to a vertical mouse "may" relieve repetitive stress pain in some places, but introduce new issues in new places.
Only two things relieved my carpel pain. First, I got a good
mouse pad. I rest the heel of my hand on it. But note it was not so much about the pad being soft. It was all about elevating my wrist and and setting a straight "angle of attack" from my elbow forward.
The second thing was I moved my mouse to the other side of my computer (see "Critical note" below). Surprisingly (to me, anyway) while right-handed, it really didn't take me long at all to get used to using my mouse in my left hand. In fact, productivity went up because I could use my mouse in my left hand at the same time I used the number pad, or a pen/pencil with my right. Now, the mouse on the right side feels awkward - and no, I am not ambidextrous.
Critical note: Carpel tunnel "damage"
never goes away. It is permanent!
![Frown :( :(](https://tpucdn.com/forums/data/assets/smilies/frown-v1.gif)
The pain comes from the inflammation (swelling) caused by the repetitive motion. If you stop that repetitive motion (move mouse to other side) and allow the swelling and inflammation to subside, the pain may go away and "further" damage may be prevented. But any actual damage to the tendons, nerves and nerve sheath (tunnel) that already occurred is permanent.
The only permanent fix is surgery - which is not 100% certain, or without its own set of risks.