Computer Mice and Mousepads

I've been having pre-carpal tunnel symptoms lately and I really want to switch to a vertical mouse, but I've heard from a lot of people that they just don't have the same sensory quality that you get with a traditional mid-high end gaming mouse. This would be an issue for me since constantly do quick flicks and don't think I can just tollerate an inferior sensor. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing, and if so do you have any good recommendations?