Actually Steve, while in college I did work as a mechanic's grunt for
two years, but that was in the days where impact wrenches were unknown
and you had to rely on your arm muscles to get the difficult tasks
done. Perhaps that was a was a blessing in disguise. My second job at
the time consisted of off-loading trucks containing 90# bags of
Portland cement that were tossed off the tailgate of the truck to you
and you caught them in your arms -- which rather than causing any
injury, put me in the best physical condition of my life. Then too, I
was about 20 at the time.

The first job related injury that I ever experienced was when I
repeatedly picked up and packed 40# packages containing military
electronics products from the floor and placed them in mil-spec
packaging. This led to a herniated disc in my back, but since it was my
own company, I had no one to blame. My Blue Cross policy covered the
cost of treatment, but I lost an entire month from work which, when you
own your own small firm, is a disaster!

You are correct in stating that nerve conduction tests are the key to a
diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, but the cause can be very vague.
If the guy plays the guitar or serious piano, that could be more of a
cause than his job functions. In the case described by the original
poster, the person's background provides more than a minor clue that he
that he is attempting to pull-off a scam. This is precisly why most
firms check out a persons credit history in addition to his/her
employment history before hiring.

Harry C.