What is it about?
Arthritis gloves aim to reduce hand pain, swelling and help people with arthritis use their hands more easily. We reviewed the published evidence about their effects. The trials were small and all evaluated gloves worn at night only. Few trials were good quality. Gloves help reduce finger swelling. Results were conflicting for pain and stiffness. No effects on grip strength and dexterity were found.
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Why is it important?
Arthritis gloves are increasingly provided by health professionals to people with arthritis to help relieve hand symptoms and improve function. There are many types of gloves available for people with arthritis to buy themselves. We found little evidence as yet that gloves do what they claim, apart from reducing finger joint swelling (by about 1mm on average). Good quality trials are needed.
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This page is a summary of: The effects of compression gloves on hand symptoms and hand function in rheumatoid arthritis and hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review, Clinical Rehabilitation, March 2015, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0269215515578296.
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