Compressive Cooling

grabcad

A temperature-controlled compression sleeve, spanning the forearm and hand, is designed to alleviate tremors through cooling below 15°C. The two-layered fabric sleeve contains a non-toxic gel pack placed in between, which must be refrigerated or frozen prior to use. Gel thicknesses of 1 cm for the forearm and 0.5 cm for the hand (using materials like silica gel, sodium polyacrylate, hydroxyethyl cellulose) ensure insulation without pain. After cooling in a refrigerator or freezer, the sleeve is placed on the affected limb for at least five minutes to reduce tremors for up to 30 minutes post-removal. However, challenges include maintaining appropriate temperature, ensuring user comfort, and ease of use/removal. Ice pack studies provide insight into skin temperature changes and tremor reduction with cooling.