[8f2ab37a-ed6c]

Yep. On a keyboard with 8 thumb cluster keys per side, and custom 35g switches to lower the force needed to actuate, that helped a lot, but still not enough to be pain-free. Unfortunately once the damage is done on certain joints you can only do so much short of not using those fingers at all. 30 years of hammering keys pretty hard eventually catch up to you.

[yep31]

You should try 20g springs, they are really good for typing. I also removed the keycaps and replaced them with small pieces of band-aid on top of the switch stems which also helped. Also dictating plain text like comments and typing only for correcting errors in dictation and for short actions is better. It's easier to press a button rather than say a lengthy command, because vocal cords can also be damaged by speaking too much.

[8f2ab37a-ed6c]

Where have you been able to find ultralight springs available to consumers? I was looking into this last week and the 10-20g ones were only available straight from the factory in South Korea with shipping costing $200... I was happy to get them and swap them out, but that shipping pricetag was too much of a highway robbery.

Would appreciate any advice here :)

And, intrigued about the idea of not using key switches at all. Are there any aftermarket alternatives available online for "keycaps" that are better at softening the impact on the finger, something softer and bouncier perhaps? Seems like something people would have experimented with.

[elorant]

The next best thing then is to try weight lifting exercises for the hands. This also helps a lot because it strengthens the muscle.