Thermal Compression Glove with Massaging Feature to Relieve Arthritis Pain

Group Members: Daniel Khaldarov, Felix Malamud, Mia Zaidi

The healthcare problem that we would like to address is rheumatoid arthritis pains in the hands. Due to the fact that rheumatoid arthritis is a serious issue affecting over 1.5 million people in the United States, we wanted to propose an idea for the most effective form of treatment possible. Very frequently, some kind of drugs or supplements are used in an attempt to deal with arthritis, but this can cause further health complications and some patients prefer a non-pharmaceutical alternative. Products have been made using heat therapy, compression, as well as massaging, to treat pains in the hands due to rheumatoid arthritis. There is an abundance of scientific literature that shows that heat and compression has a beneficial effect on people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. According to an article in the PloS One Journal entitled, “Defining Immunological Impact and Therapeutic Benefit of Mild Heating in a Murine Model of Arthritis Evidence,” heat treatment significantly reduces inflammation in joints (Lee 2015). Although there was little improvement in hand function with the use of therapy gloves, pain was substantially reduced (Nasir 2014). Our healthcare innovation aims to increase the effectiveness in pain relief by combining these forms of therapy (which current available products fail to do) into one wearable product. Our idea is a thermal compression glove with a massage feature. The massage feature would use vibration and target specific pressure points that are associated with pain relief. This type of innovation is much more convenient as it is an all-in-one form of treatment that requires no prescription and can be worn without interfering with a person’s day-to-day activities. In terms of commercial success, such a thermal compression glove can be used by anyone that wants an easy and effective way to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Those that deal with rheumatoid arthritis often, or even people who have early stages of it, would definitely find this product incredibly beneficial. We feel that there has to be a better way to deal with this issue and our innovation would be the right tool for the job, due to its multi-functionality, convenience, and effectiveness. 

Bibliography

Lee, Chen-Ting, Kathleen M. Kokolus, Nicholas D. Leigh, Maegen Capitano, Bonnie L. Hylander, and Elizabeth A. Repasky. “Defining Immunological Impact and Therapeutic Benefit of Mild Heating in a Murine Model of Arthritis.” PLoS One 10, no. 3. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120327

Nasir, Siti Hana, Olga Troynikov, and Nicola Massy-Westropp. 2014. “Therapy gloves for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a review.” Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease 6, no. 6: 226-237. https://doi-org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/10.1177/1759720X14557474