Pain in these areas can be related to carpal tunnel syndrome, the carpal tunnel syndrome is the obstruction of the meridian nerve in the wrist. This can cause a chronic pain in the wrist and hand, numbness and tingling, it also decreases strength from the hand grip, and it irritates the nerve when using the keyboard, or bending and extending the wrist. Massaging the area reduces the inflammation of the nerve and it helps to release the tension that it's making it irritated.