Date: 23 Nov 1993 18:58:11 GMT From: nightowl@athena.mit.edu (Heather Grove) Subject: Dome/Handeze Gloves Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Newsgroups: sci.med.occupational NNTP-Posting-Host: dragons-lair.mit.edu Keywords: rsi, gloves, tendonitis Well, I've been using the Dome "Handeze" gloves for almost three weeks now and I think it's time for a report. (I suffer from rsi/tendonitis from fingertip to shoulder in both arms, and have had it since somewhere in the beginning of September of this year.) At first they seemed to simply provide support and help the pain. Sort of like wrist braces, except that the gloves allow for more movement of the hands/ wrists. They didn't appear to provide any warming effect at first as claimed, until I found later that if I touched a cool surface while wearing them then that surface felt colder than usual. So they seem to provide a mild warming effect. This past weekend I noticed that the inflammation in my hands and fingers, especially around the base knuckles, has been greatly reduced. At first the gloves reduced pain when I was wearing them, and as soon as I took them off the pain returned again (sometimes greater than before if I hadn't been paying attention and had used my hands more than normal because the pain wasn't there to remind me not to). About a week ago I found that the pain in my fingers was no longer constant, and wasn't as bad as it had been in general, even when I wasn't wearing the gloves. This week I've found that unless I abuse my hands rather a bit (and I'm foolish; I do this now and then), the fingers don't hurt much at all and the hands are rather improved too (although not as much as the fingers). My tendons in my arms and shoulders haven't gotten much better, but my hands don't usually hurt when I push on formerly tender areas any more. I can't be certain that it's the gloves. I have been doing other things like getting myself a footrest (but then that was rather a while ago and there was certainly no noticeable improvement within a short time afterwards), typing less (well, somewhat less), and getting occupational therapy. However, I can't credit occ. therapy with much so far -- I found that I experienced more pain after the few pressure massages that I received, and most of the stretches hurt my neck so I couldn't continue them. (My occ. therapist has since given up on me and is now recommending an evaluation of my neck/shoulders by a physical therapist.) The gloves are a little less than $24.00/pair, and I think that so far I would recommend them. They certainly haven't harmed me, and fall within my definition of "this is inexpensive enough that it's worth experimenting with." (And no, I have no connection with the company!) At any rate, here's the toll free number: Dome -- 800/432-4352 I hope the rest of you find things that will help you as well as these have helped me. Heather ps. -- if you talk to them, tell them they should make the gloves in black. They were still thinking about it, last I heard. ;) From: ace@tidbits.com (Adam C. Engst) Subject: Handeze article Date: Mon, 1 Nov 93 10:52:40 PDT Organization: TidBITS Reply-To: ace@tidbits.com (Adam C. Engst) X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.6v2 Handeze Gloves -------------- As many of you know, I suffer from a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome, one of the many conditions collectively called repetitive stress injuries, or RSI. Although I haven't had too many queries on it (and thanks - the extra email is often hard to handle), some people have wondered how I managed to write a book without seriously damaging my hands. It's a good question, and in fact, I can say that my pain level has declined since I started the final chunks of the book after Macworld Boston. How? The Handeze gloves. These $20 finger-less gloves are made from stretch Lycra subjected to a special process called "Med-A-Likra" that expands the individual fibers in a thread, thus reducing the space between threads and working better to hold body heat. The cuffs are double-layer Lycra and help keep the hand in a neutral position while allowing flexibility, unlike wrist braces. The strangest part of the gloves is that they only have four holes for the fingers - the middle finger and ring finger share an opening. I don't know the rationale for that design. I saw them displayed at Macworld Boston, and being interested in anything related to RSI, asked the guys at the booth for more information. They talked about them for a while, then handed me a pair of them and a stack of photocopied letters of recommendation from satisfied users and doctors and reprints of magazine articles. "Just try them," they urged. So, when I started the home stretch of the book, I figured I had nothing to lose and started wore them. After a day or so of break-in time (the seams irritated my skin), I couldn't believe how little pain I had given how much I was typing, although I couldn't say why my hands felt better. In fact, I'm curious about how the design works at all. The New England Therapeutic Research Group designed the gloves to help relieve pain in three specific ways - by providing warmth, support, and massage. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet so they're frequently cold. The gloves help warm my hands, although my fingers still get somewhat cold. The support makes sense - the gloves are form-fitting down to the Lycra cuffs, so you have to order the right size for your hands. In theory, the Lycra material massages your hands, although I'm not so sure about that. I suppose that the stretchy Lycra pulls on different parts of your hand as you move your fingers, so I guess that could count as massage. I don't even play a doctor on the nets, but here's my devil's advocate analysis of those claims. As far as I'm aware, much current medical thought indicates that cold is better than heat for helping healing, no matter how much better heat may feel temporarily. Support too is nice, especially the way the gloves encourage your hands to remain in a neutral position, but compression could reduce blood flow to the hands, and blood flow is necessary to promote healing. Finally although there's seldom a problem with massage, it isn't obvious how the gloves manage to massage your hands. The fact that I can't adequately explain the gloves is frustrating, because they're a stunning success for me. I don't care how they work, as long as they do, but intellectually I have doubts. Nevertheless, within three days, sitting down at the Mac without the gloves felt wrong, much like driving a car without wearing a seatbelt feels wrong to me. For whatever reason, I quickly became accustomed to the feeling. The next test was to see how well they worked for Tonya, who has tendonitis, another RSI with a different origin. She ordered a pair in the right size (3) and ordered me another pair as well (I wear a size 4), and after avoiding them for a week or two because they felt too tight, started wearing them. Every night she came home with a glowing report of how much better her hands felt, and then one day she realized that she'd been wearing the pair she got for me, even though they were too large. We decided not to worry about it, but after another few days, the larger gloves stopped helping as much, so she moved down to the correct size, and they have made a tremendous difference for her. Although ideal for computer users, the company that sells the gloves, Dome, notes that they have been used successfully by musicians, farmers, carpenters, seamstresses, and dentists, along with people in many other occupations susceptible to RSI. Although it may seem odd to wear gloves to write, it isn't in the slightest bit unusual for dentists to wear thin rubber gloves, for farmers to wear thick leather gloves, and so on. People wear gloves for many reasons, even some as specialized as swinging a baseball bat. In that sense, it doesn't feel out of place to put on gloves before I start typing in the morning. You can supposedly machine wash the gloves if you're careful, but my first pair lost their elasticity in the cuffs, possibly due to that washing. I think I'll stick to hand washing for my newer pair, although I still wear the old ones a fair amount - the loose cuffs don't particularly bother me. Some of the seams have loosened slightly, and I had to mend one on the older pair. It's possible they were just a bum set, but with anything that you wear as much as I've worn these gloves, it's inevitable that they'll break down. I can live with that if they continue to make my hands feel better - I'll do a great deal to avoid the carpal tunnel surgery, which has a low success rate. For the fashion conscious, the gloves come in two colors, a melanin-challenged flesh tone (which looks foolish to my eyes since, like many types of women's nylons, they're obviously a different color than skin) and a bluish-grey with dark blue cuffs. Neither is exciting, by any means, and I think Dome would do well to make some in bright colors and black, or add some minor frills. [I want black ones with black lace -Tonya] If you have to wear these gloves, why not make a statement other than "I look like a dork." I stick with the blue pair in public to assuage my vanity. In the final evaluation, I can't say precisely why they work, although I can tell you that I seldom even touch the keyboard without them, and I like wearing them driving as well. They're cheap at about $20, and even if they don't work for you (I have no idea what the necessary variable for success might be), if you're experiencing hand and wrist pain, I think it's worth trying the Handeze gloves. As soon as you compare that $20 with the cost of disability, physical therapy, or even surgery, it shrinks rapidly. Do note that wearing the gloves doesn't allow you to otherwise abuse your body by not taking breaks or working in a destructive position, ergonomically speaking. You must get the right size for your hand, and the sizing is best done on paper. So follow along, and if all else fails, call the Dome folks and ask them for help. Draw a two-inch vertical line on a piece of paper with a ruler and pencil. At the one-inch mark on that line, draw a five-inch perpendicular line to form a T on its side, making hash marks on it every half-inch. Place your right hand palm down on the paper with your first finger (the pointer finger) along the vertical line (so you can just see the line). Using your left hand, mark the right edge of your right hand on the horizontal line. Now measure the distance along the horizontal line from the vertical line to that mark you just made. If it falls between 2" and 2.5", you're a size 2. If it fall between 2.5" and 3", you're a size 3. If it falls between 3" and 3.5", you're a size 4. If it falls between 3.5" and 4", you're a size 5. And finally, if it falls between 4" and 4.5", you're a size 6. For the last three sizes, those measurements aren't quite accurate, so if you're just a bit over 3.5", you may still be in the 4 size range, and the same goes for sizes 5 and 6. Dome -- 800/432-4352 From: TidBITS#199/25-Oct-93 Followup in TidBITS#200/01-Nov-93 RSI & Handeze Gloves -------------------- My article on the Handeze gloves in TidBITS #199_ provoked a number of comments and questions, the most common of which was a request for a non-800 number for Dome Publishing. Sorry about that - I realized I didn't have the non-800 number too late in the day. The numbers are: Dome -- 800/432-4352 -- 401/738-7900 -- 401/732-5377 (fax) I received some comments from a doctor concerning the use of heat and cold in healing. The general guidelines seem to be that cold is useful in the first 48 hours after an acute injury, since it decreases the amount of bleeding into the injured area. Heat, in contrast, increases circulation, which aids healing by providing the white blood cells needed to clean up the cellular debris and by providing the nutrients, oxygen, and raw materials needed to repair the damage. Several people noted in reference to the strange four-hole design of the gloves that in playing certain instruments like piano and guitar, beginners are encouraged to increase the strength and independence of the third and fourth fingers (middle and ring fingers) which perhaps indicates that the design was created to provide extra support for a vulnerable tendon in that area. **Rick Holzgrafe** commented that you might be able to find the gloves more cheaply at crafts stores that specialize in hobbies like knitting, sewing and needlepoint, since people who participate in such tasks often suffer from RSI as well. **Angus McIntyre** and **Fearghas McKay** wrote to say that the British legal establishment, in the person of Judge John Prosser, has ruled that RSI is "meaningless" and has "no place in the medical books." The ruling came down in a case involving a Reuters desk editor suffering from "upper limb disorder." It appears that the editor's doctor wasn't a particularly confident or sure witness, in contrast with two experts called by Reuters who claimed that RSI has "no medically recognised symptoms which could be put down to a physical condition." Excuse me? Just because medical science doesn't fully understand why millions of people around the world are suffering tremendous pain from repetitive motions doesn't mean that they're all hallucinating, or as in the case of the desk editor (according= to Judge Prosser), suffering from a "lack of confidence in his ability and feelings of being watched and even victimised by his colleagues at work." I agree that medical science doesn't understand RSI completely, based on my research into the subject last winter, but the pain is all too real. I doubt a doctor could discover a pathology for blind justice either. Medical science also doesn't know entirely how aspirin works, but you may have trouble finding a doctor who won't prescribe it because of that minor failing. If problems that have no medically recognized symptoms have no place in the medical books then everyone suffering from psychological problems should just stop whining= and get on with their lives. That's sarcasm, for anyone reading too quickly to notice. Rumor has it that the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is considering an appeal of the case, and the NUJ has some seventy similar cases pending that could be in jeopardy if this ruling stands. Other groups, including professors, physicians, physiotherapists, and the British Chiropractors Association, have come out against the ruling, which, incidentally, applies only= to England and Wales, not to Scotland (and presumably Ireland), since Scotland has its own legal system. From various reports, Judge Prosser has something of a reputation for having his decisions overturned. According to an article in the Independent, in February he freed a 15-year old accused rapist and ordered him to pay 500 pounds to the victim so she could have "a good holiday." The successful appeal replaced the fine with= a sentence of two years detention. Perhaps the good judge will start suffering from a little gavel elbow as his courtroom becomes increasingly full of angry RSI-sufferers. If the consequences of the ruling weren't so tragic, the whole thing would be funny in a sick way. Some rulings have been more successful, with several recent cases involving an electronics worker and workers in a turkey factory (assembling turkeys is very repetitive, I guess). The Trade Union Congress estimates that 100,000 people in the U.K. suffer from RSI, and we can only hope that some of the RSI cases still to come before the courts will= be favorably received. Copyright 1990-1993 Adam & Tonya Engst. Non-profit, non-commercial publications may reprint articles if full credit is given. Others please contact us. We don't guarantee accuracy of articles. Caveat lector. Publication, product, and company names may be registered trademarks of their companies. For information on TidBITS: how to subscribe to our mailing list, where to find back issues, how to search issues on the Internet's WAIS, and other useful stuff, send email to: Otherwise, contact us at: ace@tidbits.com * CIS: 72511,306 AppleLink & BIX: TidBITS * AOL: Adam Engst * Delphi: Adam_Engst TidBITS * 1106 North 31st Street * Renton, WA 98056 USA Adam C. Engst, TidBITS Editor -- ace@tidbits.com -- info@tidbits.com Author of The Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh -- tisk@tidbits.com Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1993 12:38:57 -0700 (MDT) From: efm@miranda.accum.com (Evelyn Mitchell) Subject: Handeze Theraputic Craft Gloves (Typing Injuries Faq info) To: dwallach@cs.princeton.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Length: 4064 Replied: Thu, 23 Sep 93 15:55:44 -0400 efm@miranda.accum.com (Evelyn Mitchell) Thank you for maintaining the Typing Injuries FAQ. I've found it very useful and informative. This week I received a pair of "Handeze Theraputic Craft Gloves" which I had ordered from Patternworks P.O. Box 1690, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (1-800-438-5464). They are a pair of fingerless, knit gloves that fit quite snugly and comfortably. ................................................ FROM THE PACKAGE INSERT: A comfortable way to reduce _Hand Stress_, _Cramping_, and _Pain_ associated with general craft activities. Also ideal for computer users. User Proven to produce relief from: Hand Fatigue, Arthritis, Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Continuous Motion Syndrome. Developed by New England Therauputic Research Group. Berroco, Uxbridge, MA 01569 How the Handeze Craft Gloves work. The Handeze Craft Gloves are a comfortable way to reduce Hand Stress, Cramping, and Pain associated with general craft activities. These craft activities include knitting, quilting, handcraafts, crocheting, sewing, weaving, cross-stitich, needlepoint, and hobbies of all kind[sic]. These gloves are also ideal for computer users. Although Handeze Craft Gloves are not a cure, these gloves are user proven to allow craftspeople to extend the use of their hands before being stopped by hand or wrist pain. Developed by the New England Therapeutic Research Group, the Handeze Craft Gloves treat hands and wrist with three ancient pain relievers: SUPPORT, HEAT AND MASSAGE. SUPPORT: The form fitting "hugging design gives SUPPORT tp the flesh and muscle structure of the hand and wrist. Support hose have been recommended by doctors for everything from aching feet to poor blood circulation. Handeze Craft Goves do for the hands what support hose do for legs. HEAT: By merely putting on these nonrestrictive gloves, body HEAT is retaind with the Med-a-Likra process, raising the blood temperature in the wrist, hands and fingers. Heat has been proven effective for relieving aches and pains from tired and sore muscles for years. MASSAGE: The gloves 4 way stretch material, Lycra, reacts to each movement, producing an automatic massaging effect. The more you work, The more they MASSAGE. .................................................................... FROM THE PATTERNWORKS CATALOGUE: Therapeutic Fingerless Gloves: prevent and relieve painful hands and wrists. You'll be able to knitin comfort longer with these user-proven gloves that do for your hands what support hose do for aching legs. Handeze Gloves fit like a thin extra layer of skin--they protect, support and warm your hands and wrists, improve your ciruclation and provide a self-massaging action that actually soothes your hands as they work. Our first reation when we tried them was "they feel great but the finger edges look raw." It turns out that the stitching would constrict the fit. The exposed ends of the 4-way stretch fabric won't ravel-- and these gloves really work! In the short time we've been investigating them I've personally found three people who won't take the gloves off except for washing. The manufacturer provided a sheaf of quotes from needleworkers who claimed the gloves gave them relief from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other continuous motion syndrome disorders. If your hands bother you, or you knit for long stretches and want to prevent problems, I hope you'll try the Handeze Gloves-- and that they help you knit for many happy hours. Please let us know how they work for you. As with anything you buy form Patternworks, I want you to send them back if you're not completely satisfied. sizes: women's 2(s), 3(m), 4(l), 5(xl); men's 3(s), 4(m), 5(l), 6(xl). #M-248 Theraputic Gloves $19.95/pair (beige and navy) ====== end quotes=== I've used them for about a week now, and I've noticed a considerable reduction in discomfort after I type for even brief periods of time. My hands no longer feel cold or crampy. I hope you will have time to investigate these further. Evelyn Mitchell efm@accum.com Date: Sun, 1 Jan 1995 16:52:17 -0800 From: "Gary L. Karp" Subject: Gloves To: Multiple recipients of list SOREHAND Organization: Faludi Computing X-To: SOREHAND@UCSFVM.UCSF.EDU > Believe it or not, I bought Handeze gloves (first time I bought something > without real evidence of its efficacy). I think a thicker and firmer > material that sort of goes further up the fingers would be helpful for > activities like driving and keyboarding, at least for me. Anyone know of > such a product? Yes. The folks who make Handeze also make a glove that goes almost up to the first knuckle. They call them Med-A-Surge*, and they are essentially the same as Handeze gloves in all other respects. They cost $26.95 from me (discounted), and come in the "slate" (blue) color. If you are on the edge of the sizing chart, go with the larger. I found the fingers were a little tighter. They also have introduced a product called Wrist-Mate* that is like the wrist sleeve of a Handeze glove but longer - namely three inches. Some people have found they like to use them with Handeze to add some stability to the wrist. They are $6.50 a pair, $3.45 for one and come in beige or black. Hope you don't mind my issuing prices this openly. I usually don't, but thought it made sense in this case. Gary Karp Onsight