Specifically, RMI can be classified as either inflammation of a tendon, "Tendonitis", or "Bursitis", an inflamed bursa sac (a small pouch designed to lubricate the space between a tendon and bone). Full blown tendonitis may become Tenosynovitis, a sometimes painful inflammation of both tendon and tendon sheath.
About half of athletes seeking medical relief suffer from some type of RMI. Tendonitis and other pains are caused by repeatedly stressing and straining one area.
In recent decades when PC users began utilizing wrist rest devices during long hours at the keyboard. It seems that piano players and typewriter users tend to elevate their wrists from a flat position and move them with the fingers; the people who worked PC mice and keys from a fixed wrist position kept straining their wrist areas unnaturally, making all types of muscle strains and nerve pressure pains "modern" disease.
Thankfully for pool shooters, these dread maladies are easily avoided using proper pool technique. A tense, tight grip on the cuestick creates much tension through the wrist and forearm, but a proper grip keeps impact away from harming the player.
New devices in the pool market can also help. There are impact dampening tools that adhere to the butt end of the cue, softening the feel of your hit on the cue ball and (supposedly) improving play even while granting a health benefit.
Players' reaction has been generally positive about the "Limbsaver" cue stabilizer, and the name is appropriate for the stabilizer's hidden asset--no more wrist pain.
