Which gel things have you used?

I ask because I have pretty severe hand/wrist issues after years of being an auto mechanic. I haven't gotten rid of the problem entirely, but I've managed to reduce it a lot on one of my bikes with the Serfas gel pads. On one of my old steel bikes, I have a Girvin Flexstem, if you remember those, with a very firm elastomer - just enough to stop vibrations, not enough to flex up and down too much.

Handlebar shape was a big part of it, too. (I have several bikes, and I've tried different things on each one to see which works best) On my main roadie (DBR Podium3 carbon fork, carbon stays), I was having the same problem. I put on an FSA Pro Wing Compact handlebar and the problem was reduced to almost nothing. I tilted the saddle nose up maybe 1° and the problem went away entirely.

My Rawland is the one that has the Serfas gel pads. It has a Ritchey BioMax bar on it, and I think the reason I still have pain/numbness is because of the bar. In theory it's great. It just doesn't seem to work for me.

So, there are the things I've tried. I would explore those options before I put a plastic fork on a touring bike. Believe me, I was tempted for a while, too.