[lmm]

FWIW switching to the Dvorak layout was the best thing I ever did. Not only did my fingers stop hurting, I could actually type faster than I had before. And it only took a weekend to make the transition.

Also, choose a keyboard that works for you. Different people have different opinions; the one I use was a $3 no-name one, but it felt right.

[Symbiote]

I also recommend Dvorak. I doubt it solves all problems, but I feel it significantly increases the time I can spend typing compared to with Qwerty, much beyond what I do for 99% of the year.

Easily overlooked is using the shift, control and alt keys correctly. It's left-control + backspace, right-shift + 1, right-alt+F4 (to pick examples that work on Qwerty and Dvorak). Otherwise you're still stretching.