Patent ID: 8277497

Claim:
A method of treating carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrists of an individual, comprising the steps of (a) providing a computer keyboard; (b) providing a substantially rigid hollow elongate cooling wrist support ( 275 ) comprising a heat conductive metal including a hollow inner space; (c) providing a cooling apparatus that maintains a temperature in the range of thirty-three degrees F. to forty degrees F. for at least thirty minutes, said cooling apparatus shaped and dimensioned to slide into at least a portion of said hollow inner space and contact at least a portion of said heat conductive metal and comprising (i) a pan housing with a cover ( 161 ), a substantially flat bottom, (ii) a plurality of spaced apart modules each inside and detached from said pan housing, with a substantially flat base adjacent said substantially flat bottom, with a generally circular cross section when taken parallel to said base, with a rounded top extending outwardly away from said substantially flat base and said substantially flat bottom, and contacting said cover, (iii) a first fluid in said modules having a first freezing temperature, (iv) a second fluid in said pan housing intermediate said housing and said modules, said second fluid having a second freezing temperature different from said first freezing temperature; (d) providing a fabric sleeve to cover said wrist support, said sleeve slidably mountable on said wrist support; (e) cooling said cooling apparatus to freeze at least one of said first and second fluids; (f) placing said cooled cooling apparatus and said foam sheet in said hollow inner space of said wrist support to contact and cool said wrist support, said foam sheet contacting said cover and intermediate said cover and said wrist support; (g) sliding said fabric sleeve on said wrist support; (h) placing said wrist support generally adjacent said key board such that an individual can place his wrists on said wrist support contacting said fabric sleeve and operate with his hands said keyboard; (i) positioning the wrists of the individual on said wrist support contacting said fabric sleeve such that the individual can operate said keyboard with the individual's hands.