Therapeutic gloves for arthritis: development of a design framework

Abstract

Therapeutic gloves are an intervention widely recommended and prescribed by rheumatologists and occupational therapists for the management and treatment of hand arthritis. Different models of therapeutic gloves are commercially available, with varying design, construction and materials. However, a systematic classification for therapeutic gloves and their effectiveness has not been well established. In addition, little research has addressed the issue of material choice on glove performance. These knowledge gaps prompted the development of a framework for the design and engineering of functional and comfortable therapeutic gloves. Knowledge from multiple domains was integrated into a single framework and relationships between components were identified and characterised. The framework demonstrates that the design and engineering of therapeutic gloves requires fusion of functional design with comfort design to meet users' demand for wearing comfort, relief of arthritic symptoms and improvement of hand function