She says she does not fault the UHS specialist for not having a detailed understanding of RSI, because the syndrome is relatively new.

"I think [the treatment at UHS] is about as effective as you might expect," she says. But she notes that each of the eight other RSI sufferers she knows has sought additional treatment off campus.

Clayton D. Scott '98 is much more critical in his assessment of UHS.

A patient at UHS for eight months, Scott says his condition did not improve, despite the fact that he stopped typing and regularly attended physical therapy.

"I was getting the exact same treatment every time I went in, and it wasn't working," Scott says.

After taking his case to the director of UHS, Scott was transferred to an outside doctor at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Medford, Mass.

Scott says he has made noticeable improvements since starting his treatment at Spaulding.

"I'm positive that would not have happened it I had stayed with UHS," he adds.

But not all RSI patients treated at UHS are dissatisfied.

Rachel W. Podolsky '00 says despite a long wait for her initial physical therapy appointment, the treatment she has received has been quite good.

"I respect my physical therapist a lot," she says. "He really knows his stuff."

Working to Improve Care

Practice Manager for Surgical and Dental Services Laura L. Doyle says UHS is aware of complaints about long waits for physical therapy appointments and has been working to improve the situation.

"It was definitely a problem, so we added some time," she says.

According to Doyle, while the waits for appointments were as long as three weeks in January, since then UHS has hired additional physical therapists and increased their hours.