A Review of Compression Glove Modifications to Enhance Functional Grip: A Case Series

Abstract

A common complaint among patients with burns is their inability to grasp items while wearing compression gloves. Recent technological innovations permit the addition of grip-enhancing material to garment fabric. The purpose of this case series was to describe the course of development of compression gloves with enhanced grip modifications. Five different types of grip modifications were made during a period of 18 months. Five subjects who were prescribed compression gloves tested each type of glove. The gloves were fabricated with grip-enhancing material on the palmar surface in five ways: 1) rectangular rubber tabs; 2) honeycomb pattern silicone; 3) wave-like pattern silicone; 4) line pattern silicone beads; 5) line pattern silicone beads embedded into the fabric. Each glove was evaluated on a three-point Likert scale (0 = poor, 1 = moderate, 2 = good) for grip-enhancing qualities and durability. All five subjects reported similar experiences with each glove type: 1) the rectangular rubber tabs demonstrated poor grip and moderate durability; 2) the honeycomb pattern provided good grip but poor durability; 3) the wave pattern had good grip and moderate durability; 4) the silicone beads adhered to the fabric had moderate grip but poor durability; 5) the silicone beads embedded into the fabric had moderate grip and good durability. The wave pattern provided the best gripping capability and silicone embedded into the fabric demonstrated the best durability. A wave-like pattern silicone material embedded into the fabric seems to provide the best combination of grip and durability to enhance activities of daily living performance.

The Effect of Pressure Glove Tightness on Forearm Muscle Activity and Psychophysical Responses

“…The length of the thumb part reached the thumbnail; see Figure 1. The open fingertip design was adopted as it is typically used in clinical practice to improve tactile sensation (Dewey et al, 2007).…”

“…As reported by numerous authors in the literature, work gloves, such as those made of leather, latex, vinyl, and nitrile, negatively influence grip and pinch strength, dexterity, ease of tool manipulation, and functional hand use (Bellingar & Slocum, 1993;Dianat, Haslegrave, & Stedmon, 2012b;Fleming, Jansen, & Hasson, 1997;Kinoshita, 1999;Riley, Cochran, & Schanbacher, 1985;Rock, Mikat, & Foster, 2001;Sawyer & Bennett, 2006;Shih, Vasarhelyi, Dubrowski, & Carnahan, 2001). O'Brien, Weinstock-Zlotnick, Hunter, and Yurt (2006) and Dewey et al (2007) modified pressure gloves by using a suede, rubber, or silicon attachment on the palm surface, which can enhance hand function in gross-and fine-motor activities and functional grip as compared to traditional pressure gloves that are solely made of warp-knitted powernet fabrics. In addition, fit and thickness of work gloves have been found to affect the effort put forth by the wearers and the muscle activity and performance of their hands (Kovacs, Splittstoesser, Maronitis, & Marras, 2002;Wells, Hunt, Hurley, & Rosati, 2010).…”

Therapy gloves for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a review

“…A glove is defined as a garment covering a hand with separate sections for each finger and thumb. It is designed for people who suffer from various hand conditions and aims to relieve pain and improve hand function in arthritis, as well as to manage hypertrophic scarring after a severe burn, and lymphedema [Dewey et al 2007].…”