Hi. First, sorry to hear about your problem. I too develop a mild pain in my lower left arm every now and then when working long hours, so I can empathize with you.
As far as getting better, I don't believe there is a magic trick. It all boils down to posture and taking appropriate breaks. There have been several discussions on HN about keyboards and desks [http://searchyc.com/keyboard] but it takes a while to find a keyboard that suits you well. I personally have gone through several keyboards and have come to the conclusion that I will have to spend the money to get a really good one.
The other issue, as I mentioned earlier, is taking breaks. Getting up from your desk at regular intervals is good both for your arms, and back as well as your eyes. There are a variety of exercises you can perform while at your desk [http://tinyurl.com/rttqm].
I haven't used any speech recognition software, so I am afraid I can't help you there. In all honesty though, catching this early and doing something about it helps.
mentioned 3 exercises: wrist curls, spinning ball thing and i don't know what the 3rd is called (finger abductors?: expanding your curled fingers outward) in this thread
Make sure you don't cock wrists at funny angles when you're driving a car, using power tools, sleeping (don't sleep on your side). And elbow and heel of hand supported weight-wise at all times when working mouse and keyboard.
As far as getting better, I don't believe there is a magic trick. It all boils down to posture and taking appropriate breaks. There have been several discussions on HN about keyboards and desks [http://searchyc.com/keyboard] but it takes a while to find a keyboard that suits you well. I personally have gone through several keyboards and have come to the conclusion that I will have to spend the money to get a really good one.
The other issue, as I mentioned earlier, is taking breaks. Getting up from your desk at regular intervals is good both for your arms, and back as well as your eyes. There are a variety of exercises you can perform while at your desk [http://tinyurl.com/rttqm].
I haven't used any speech recognition software, so I am afraid I can't help you there. In all honesty though, catching this early and doing something about it helps.
Good luck and I wish you well.