When looking for arthritis gloves, check for portability, flexibility, and support. Additionally, “it is important to see if the gloves fit adequately, have a soft fabric (cotton), and comfortably, by picking a flexible fabric," says Magdalena Cadet, MD, a rheumatologist practicing at NYU Langone in New York City. “Picking fingerless gloves may offer some flexibility with the range of motion. Compression gloves have been worn to help reduce swelling.”
We researched dozens of arthritis gloves and evaluated them for material, fit, comfort, and price.
Here are the best arthritis gloves on the market today.
Additionally, the gloves are made with a breathable material of both cotton and spandex. This combination makes for flexible wear, which is important for people who experience some swelling of the joints. We also like that there’s an added compression effect with the gloves to keep the blood flowing throughout the hands and fingers. The best part is that the gloves also come in a variety of sizes to fit your hand well.
Price at time of publish: $22
We love the gloves’ lightweight fabric, which is made out of a cotton-spandex blend. This material gives the gloves some flexibility when putting them on and off. The design also leaves the fingertips free so you can continue your daily tasks without feeling restrained.
Price at time of publish: $12
Be aware, though, that some people can experience an allergic reaction to metals. It is important to monitor new gloves when first wearing them to ensure that no allergic reaction or irritation is happening from the new material.
Price at time of publish: $33
Reviewers say that wearing the gloves at night helped them wake up with less stiff and achy joints in the morning, making it easy for them to start their day.
Price at time of publish: $32
Mittens, as opposed to gloves, are also great at warming up the joints because the fingers are next to each other instead of separated, which can create more heat between them. But, the downside of the mittens is that they prevent you from getting any work done. So this product is most optimal for someone who experiences joint pain and stiffness in the morning and is looking for an option to wear at night.
Price at time of publish: $47
Although full-fingered gloves can often hinder someone from performing tasks, that might not be the case with the Copper Compression Full Finger Arthritis Gloves. These gloves include touchscreen fingertips, which allow you to text on your phone or utilize a tablet without having to take off the product.
Price at time of publish: $20
Besides providing heat, the gloves also add soft compression to the hand, which assists with any swelling or pain someone might be experiencing. Additionally, the gloves feature small rubber dots on the inside palm of the material. This helps people grip items around their household easily.
Price at time of publish: $40
A 2018 study published in the journal Pain Medicine tested the Intellinetix gloves with women who live with osteoarthritis. Just over half of the participants (53.5%) said that the gloves helped reduce their hand pain, and 71.4% indicated that they would use them again.
The one downside about these gloves is the price tag. So if you find them out of budget, then consider going for a cheaper pair that addresses heat and compression therapy. Those gloves could have the same or even more benefits than a vibrating glove.
Price at time of publish: $120
Once we narrowed down our options, we compared each treatment’s benefits to its price tag. While some choices on our list may be more expensive, we wanted to give a wide range of options that would fit all needs and budgets. Based on all of these factors, we compiled this list of the best gloves to relieve arthritis symptoms.
What to Look for in Arthritis Gloves
Comfort
What’s comfortable for one person might not necessarily be comfortable for someone else. Ideally, you should be able to put on a pair of gloves and forget you’re wearing them: That’s the true mark of comfort. Make sure the gloves aren’t too tight or loose-fitting and that no part of the glove pinches or digs into your skin while you’re wearing them. “I would be careful with compression gloves that are also too tight. You do want to have sufficient circulation and not impede circulation to the fingers,” says Jonathan Greer, MD, a Florida-based rheumatologist.
It is important to remember that the fit of the glove can alter day to day depending on the swelling of the hands and joints. “The glove that fit yesterday might not fit today,” said Betty Hearne, OTHR, an occupational therapist in Massachusetts. “Most people can feel if the gloves are too tight. Your hand might go cold and feel tingly. It might ache like a shoe that is too small.”
Coverage
Gloves are available in all different coverage levels: full hand and wrist, finger-only, wrist-only, hands and fingers, and fingerless. Make sure to choose a glove that supports the part of your hand that suffers from arthritis and addresses your type of arthritis. “If someone has Raynaud’s Phenomenon, I personally like gloves that have all the fingers encased in one mitt that is heated,” Dr. Greer says. “Individual fingers that are wrapped don’t quite heat the same compared to when you have the full mitt and your fingers are all together.”
But, ultimately, it is up to the individual on what coverage makes more sense for their personal life and symptoms. Your level of mobility during the day can impact the coverage decision. “For daytime use, I want the fingertips to be free but the fingers covered,” Hearne says. “For nighttime use, the whole hand should be covered.”
Material
Certain fabrics and materials will be more comfortable for you than others. If you tend to run hot, you might want to choose a breathable fabric—but if your hands are always cold and it triggers your pain, a thermal option would be a better choice. “Heavier gloves hold more warmth, which can be comforting but may make it difficult to move your fingers. They are often worn at night,” Hearne says. “Lighter weight fabrics are often easier to wear during the day so you can use your hands.” Lightweight fabrics will also provide more flexibility in the glove to make them easy to put on and remove.
“Many garments have copper in them and claim to better help arthritis. There is no evidence that the copper helps, but the glove is a good one and is reasonably priced so we do recommend its use,” Hearne adds.
Allergies are an important consideration when selecting gloves. “Be careful, patients can have allergic reactions to the products in gloves, particularly the latex or rubber related products,” Dr. Greer says. Also, depending on the breathability of the material, it is important to give your hands breaks from wearing the gloves if sweat builds up. “You don’t want to have the hands totally encased 24 hours per day without giving the glove the chance to dry,” Dr. Greer adds.
Added Features
Arthritis gloves can come with a variety of therapeutic features to tackle symptoms someone might experience daily. Heated gloves are one of the more important features to focus on because of their ability to relieve stiffness and joint pain. “For rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, the heat in the gloves provides and improves circulation in the joints and reduces stiffness,” Dr. Greer says. But it is important to note that while the heat will temporarily alleviate the joint stiffness, this, like other therapeutic methods, will not reverse the disease. “It is a reliever of the symptoms,” he says.
Compression is another feature that works well to temporarily relieve symptoms associated with arthritis in the hands and fingers. “Most of the patients that I see have the wear and tear of osteoarthritis, and their joints are swollen and painful,” Hearne says. “The gloves can really help by giving you some compression to the hands and the joints, which will inhibit pain.”
Other features like copper in gloves and added vibrations do not have the same science behind them as heat and compression therapy. “All of these are based on pseudoscience,” Dr. Greer says. “They are not going to hurt you, they are not going to cause damage, but the science behind these things is not as robust as the science we see for the drugs we use to treat these diseases.”
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There are additional conditions, especially those related to circulation problems, that don’t pair well with arthritis gloves. “A physician must be consulted about wearing gloves if an individual has circulation problems, a condition called Raynaud’s disease where there is constriction of the blood vessels, and carpal tunnel syndrome, which can be seen in people with diabetes, thyroid disease, and rheumatoid arthritis,” says Magdalena Cadet, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and rheumatologist at NYU Langone.
The second reason, he explains, is that most swelling happens at night because of fluid retention due to cortisol secretion, as well as the fact that most joints are at the same level as the heart—positioned horizontally as we sleep. “The gloves will minimize pooling of fluid in already painful joints,” Badia adds.
Arthritis gloves need to be tight enough that they exert their desired action—namely to minimize joint swelling and edema, Badia notes. “Too loose, they don’t work. Too tight and it’s hard for patients to be compliant with the needed prolonged usage,” he says.
According to Leversedge, the gloves should support the joints that are painful, be comfortable, and not cause a notable increase in swelling of the fingertips if worn for 30 to 45 minutes before going to bed. “Be careful when using fingerless gloves that are too tight, as this might promote swelling in the fingers, beyond the tighter portions of the gloves,” he explains.
Additional reporting for this story by Danielle Zoellner
As a seasoned health writer, Danielle Zoellner knows the importance of finding just the right product to fit your medical needs. Throughout her career, Danielle has interviewed a variety of experts in the medical and health fields while reviewing dozens of products. Her experience and knowledge in the field work together to help readers like yourself find the best products for your daily life.
