Carpal Tunnel Gloves: The Best Supports On The Market in 2022

Carpal tunnel is a more common condition than you think. In fact, up to 5% of our population suffers from it, many of which on both hands. Like many other forms of wrist and hand pain, carpal tunnel affects your hands and wrists, which is used throughout the day. Simple tasks that many of us would never think twice about, such as typing on a computer keyboard or opening doors, can be incredibly painful for sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. Activities which require plenty of dexterity and strength in the hand, wrist, and arm will prove to be very difficult as well.

Carpal tunnel syndrome has a wide range of causes and risk factors, but the fortunate part about it is that most cases will resolve over a few weeks or months depending on severity, cause, and with simple treatment like carpal tunnel syndrome gloves.

These supports, though, aren’t all the same. There’s a huge range of compression gloves, sleeves, and braces out there designed for everything from arthritis to sprains and, of course, carpal tunnel syndrome. While they all share some similarities and benefits, small design changes mean that they provide support or structure to different parts of your wrist or hand, and help your body heal naturally in different ways.

That being said, support gloves are one of the best ways to treat carpal tunnel syndrome as they are a completely non-invasive solution. This means that they have no chance of interfering with any medications or treatments you might be taking for related or unrelated conditions. In this article, we’ll go over some of the different options for treating carpal tunnel syndrome, their pros and cons, as well as the different causes and symptoms.

But first, what are carpal tunnel gloves?

Carpal tunnel gloves – also known as sleeves, braces, and supports – are designed to provide support that relieves the pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome and complements your body’s natural ability to heal. It’s important at this stage to differentiate between the different kinds of supports you can get, and why some are much better suited to carpal tunnel than others.

Compression gloves, for example, are one of the most popular forms of support on the market and are constantly praised for their ability to relieve swelling and soothe the pain caused by a wide range of conditions like arthritis, ganglion cysts, and much more. Compression-based supports operate on the basis of applying pressure to the area to prevent fluid build-up and swelling, which is what causes the pain. However, carpal tunnel syndrome is a little different, and so compression gloves don’t work as well.

Carpal tunnel gloves or sleeves are designed to provide support to your wrist to prevent it moving in ways that tend to worsen the condition or cause pain. They achieve this through using resting splints within the support itself, but specifically on the lateral or dorsal sides (top or sides) of your arm. This is because any pressure applied to the palmar side of your arm will stress the median nerve, which is what is worst affected by carpal tunnel.

A little bit about carpal tunnel…

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be an incredibly difficult condition to manage, as often it’s people’s jobs or hobbies that cause it – both of which can be hard to give up in their own right. But for those looking for an effective solution, it’s important to also understand what causes carpal tunnel syndrome and, therefore, what potential lifestyle changes could be made to contribute to the healing process.

What are the symptoms / how to know if you have carpal tunnel

Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by a numbing, tingling sensation in your hand as well as weakness and pain. The condition gets its name from the fact that much of the pain is caused by a damaged median nerve, which is the nerve that controls movement in much of your hand, that travels through part of your wrist called the “carpal tunnel”.

If you notice yourself waking up with numb fingers or have a painful and weakened grip, there is a good chance you have carpal tunnel syndrome. At this point, you should consult your doctor to be sure of the diagnosis, as the speed and effectiveness of your recovery always depend on an accurate diagnosis.

Causes and risk factors of carpal tunnel

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by a wide variety of things. The specific syndrome is caused by the carpal tunnel (the section of your wrist which the median nerve travels through) swells and applies pressure to the median nerve. This is also precisely why compression gloves of the wrong type will not do much to benefit your symptoms and can instead make your carpal tunnel syndrome worse.

Swelling of this part of your wrist can be caused by repeatedly bending your wrist in awkward ways or gripping too hard for excessive amounts of time. This means that those who perform manual labor for work, or even simply just typing on a keyboard for hours each day, have a high risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Furthermore, those who are overweight, pregnant, have previously injured your wrist, or have other conditions such as arthritis are at a higher risk of developing carpal tunnel then those who do not. It is also worth noting that you may have a genetic predisposition to developing carpal tunnel. If many of your relatives have the condition, it’s likely that you may have it too if you are experiencing similar symptoms.

Carpal tunnel gloves and support as a solution:

As we’ve mentioned, carpal tunnel gloves need to provide support in the right area to be properly effective. If you purchase the carpal tunnel glove best suited for your need and wear it appropriately, carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms can be managed and will gradually improve without any other treatment. However, each person’s case is unique and certain types of support might be more beneficial depending on any other underlying conditions, your day-to-day activities, and how or when you wish to wear it. Here are some of the options you have available from Dr. Arthritis, as well as their pros and cons.

Options from Dr. Arthritis

Dr. Arthritis was founded by practicing medical doctors. We have a great understanding of our customer’s pathophysiology and offer products that we’ve developed and analyzed using years of experience. Our carpal tunnel gloves and supports are designed to help you find the relief you need from the condition and kickstart your journey back to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Carpal Tunnel Wrist Brace

Designed specifically for carpal tunnel syndrome, this is one of the best options when it comes to gloves that alleviate painful symptoms and help with a swift recovery. A secure strap and perfectly positioned splint provide just enough support to help your condition, but not too much that it causes annoyance while wearing it. Because of the delicate positioning of the splint, our carpal tunnel wrist brace gloves are only suitable for one specific hand. Be sure to order the left or right-handed variant based on your condition.

Best for:

Those who want a speedy and effective recovery from carpal tunnel syndrome, and do not mind having restricted movement through the use of a splint. This carpal tunnel glove is also one of the best options for a wide range of other conditions that can benefit from having some extra support, including sports injuries, ganglion cysts, arthritis, and more, doing so without applying excessive compression to the area.

Copper Infused Wrist Sleeve

Our copper infused wrist sleeves are an alternative option when it comes to carpal tunnel gloves. They are a more general solution and work by providing a decent amount of support while still a great deal of flexibility to the area.

Best for:

If you have only a minor case of carpal tunnel syndrome and still want to have some form of flexibility in your hands for day-to-day activities like sports, a copper infused glove is the right option for you as it will not provide too much compression to worsen the condition.

Heated Mittens / Heat Therapy Gloves

Heat therapy is an incredibly underrated method of relieving pain and the symptoms brought on by a variety of conditions, including carpal tunnel. These heat therapy gloves are ideal for carpal tunnel and can stimulate healing and reduce pain, joint stiffness, and more.

Best for:

Those who will have some downtime after exercise, activities or a day of work. Heat therapy gloves are a great option for carpal tunnel sufferers, but they also mean you cannot use your hands for the duration of using them.

Wrist Support

Copper lined wrist supports are a great option for those looking for a carpal tunnel glove. The copper infused material ensures that you can wear it for extended periods of time without having to worry about odors or anything thanks to its antibacterial properties. A wrist support like this helps support the area and prevents it from moving around in ways that could exacerbate your carpal tunnel condition.

Best for:

If you want a good amount of support but a more discrete carpal tunnel glove, this is the option for you. If you have some other underlying conditions as well, such as arthritis, this is a great versatile option to pick up and wear throughout the day or as you sleep.

Comparison Table

Remember to make sure you use your carpal tunnel gloves correctly!

As we’ve mentioned before, the best gloves for carpal tunnel syndrome are also the ones that do not compress unnecessarily, but instead provide support in the right areas. It should go without saying, then, that you need to ensure a sufficiently tight fit – but also one that does not restrict blood flow or feel uncomfortable to wear.

A good piece of advice to follow is that you should ensure you can just about fit a finger in between your arm and the sleeve or glove.

Get in touch with Dr. Arthritis

All our gloves and braces for carpal tunnel syndrome come with a complimentary Dr. Arthritis Handbook, which contains a bounty of information about various conditions, including carpal tunnel and offer interesting insight and advice on how to deal with the condition as best as possible.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team!