I've been an avid climber for three years now and the amount of strength I have built up in my upper body, wrists, and fingers has proven to be the best guard against my relatively horrid posture at work. About the only thing I am careful about when coding at work or home is making sure my keyboard and mouse are at a comfortable, even-level height to my chair's armrests.
Additionally, the mental component can sometimes not be ignored. Short story -- friend of mine had back pain all through his life, saw doctors, chiropractors, no help. I am randomly listening to the radio, hear Howard Stern comment that a Dr. Sarno completely cured his chronic, debilitating back pain and that it had been all mental. I recommend Sarno's book to my friend, he reads it, boom, back pain gone. Now whenever his back or neck starts acting up, he knows to check his mental health and make sure he is addressing stressors in his life.
I've been a climber now for at least a decade, and programming for just under that long. I only started getting pain in the last 5 months, almost directly coinciding with the startup I'm working for raising a round, moving cities, being acquired, and a personal decision to go from development to technical sales. It's probably been the most chaotic 5 months of my life, and I'm getting wrist pain for the first time ever.
I think this post will probably put me over the edge -- more vacations, and it may actually be time to go talk to a doctor.
I'm a huge advocate of treating the full condition, not just a single aspect of it. I personally see a therapist once a week, and pay out of pocket for the privilege of gaining some clarity about my life and my actions. I've tried various different modalities and settled on contemplative psychotherapy as a great fit for myself (it helps that I'm at the epicenter here in Boulder):
I will say that my experience has not emphasized the "religious" aspect that the article mentions, and instead focuses on the non-linear, ever-changing perception of self and how that relates to my actions and experiences.
Additionally, the mental component can sometimes not be ignored. Short story -- friend of mine had back pain all through his life, saw doctors, chiropractors, no help. I am randomly listening to the radio, hear Howard Stern comment that a Dr. Sarno completely cured his chronic, debilitating back pain and that it had been all mental. I recommend Sarno's book to my friend, he reads it, boom, back pain gone. Now whenever his back or neck starts acting up, he knows to check his mental health and make sure he is addressing stressors in his life.