The group has collaborated with UHS and other organizations to make mousepads that explain "the prayer stretch"--which stretches the wrist to prevent strain--and other tips for RSI prevention.

The group has also worked with UHS to make an information brochure titled: "Preventing Problems at the Keyboard." This was given out at the first-year orientation and to all incoming graduate students, according to Hollis.

Hollis says that there has been a gradual awareness of RSI on the campus as a whole within the past two years.

From July through October, she says the demand for RSI information from the resource center was second on their list, surpassing HIV testing/counseling and stress management.

Timely Treatment Is Crucial

As advocates, RSI Action seeks to improve diagnosis and treatment at UHS for people with RSI. Goodman says the group is working to make UHS aware of a potentially dangerous delay for patients between seeing a physician and getting physical therapy.

After seeing his primary-care physician at UHS, Goodman says he has to wait almost four weeks to get an appointment for an evaluation by a physical therapist. He then had to wait another four weeks to schedule a therapy session.

This eight-week wait is typical, he says. But the scariest part of the wait, according to Goodman, is that many patients can injure themselves even more during that time.

Goodman says that because some of the doctors at UHS are not adequately trained to recognize RSI and educate patients about it, people with RSI may continue to type during the wait, thus worsening their injury.

The advice the RSI Action group wants to pass on to computer users is best put by the saying on their posters, says Goodman.

"If your hands hurt, go numb or tingle, or you drop things, stop typing, see a doctor, take rest breaks, and see our Website [http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/rsi/]," he says.

Tips for Preventing RSI

* Take frequent rest breaks and stretch hands, wrists, and arms.

* Maintain good posture without sitting too rigidly. Your body should be relaxed and your weight evenly distributed.

* When typing, keep hands relaxed and fingers gently curved. Your hands should float easily above the keyboard.