What the IMAK gloves are built to do
These gloves solve a comfort problem, not a stability one. Arthritic hands stiffen up, the small joints ache, and gripping a paddle can feel like squeezing on a bruise. The IMAK gloves address that with two design choices. First, they are fingerless— the fingertips are left open, so you keep the feel and control you need to hold the paddle and sense the ball off the face. Second, they apply gentle all-over compression that warms the hand and supports its small joints. Warmth and light compression increase blood flow and can dull arthritic stiffness, which is exactly the low-effort help an aching paddle hand wants.
There is a good reason to keep playing through it rather than resting the hand entirely. The CDC is clear that regular physical activity actually reduces arthritis pain and improves how the joints function, and the Arthritis Foundation calls exercise the single most effective non-drug treatment for osteoarthritis. In other words, staying on the court is part of the answer, not a risk to manage — and a glove that keeps your hand comfortable enough to keep playing is doing something genuinely useful. That is the honest case for these gloves: they are not a treatment, but they help you keep doing the thing that helps.
How much support they actually give
Be clear-eyed about the level here. This is gentle compression, not rigid support. The gloves warm and lightly squeeze the hand; they do not brace or immobilize anything, and they are not meant to. For an arthritic hand, that is the right amount — and it is worth saying, because the theme that runs through all of our support reviews is that more support is not automatically better. You match the help to what the joint needs. A stiff, achy hand needs warmth and a light, supportive hug so it can move freely; it does not need to be locked down. Wrapping it in something rigid would take away the very dexterity that lets you play.
So if you are expecting these gloves to hold a joint still or take real load off a strain, they will disappoint — that is not their job, and it is not what an arthritic hand wants anyway. Judged as what they are — a gentle, warming, fingerless compression glove for stiff hands — they hit the mark, which is why they are the category default. If your problem is actually the wrist rather than the fingers and hand, that is a different tool; see the arthritis-glove roundup for options that extend over the wrist, or step up to a proper wrist brace.
Fit is what makes the compression work. A glove that is too loose will not deliver the gentle, even squeeze that warms the joints, and one that is too tight can feel like it is pinching an already sore hand — so it is worth checking IMAK’s sizing before you buy rather than guessing. When the fit is right, the effect is deliberately subtle: a warm, supported hand that loosens up over the first few minutes of play, not a dramatic before-and-after. That subtlety is the point. Gentle, wearable relief you keep on for a whole session beats firmer support you peel off after two games.
Who should buy them
- An arthritic paddle hand. This is the core buyer. If your hand is stiff and sore and the grip is where you feel it, gentle warming compression with your fingertips free is close to ideal.
- Players who want a proven, low-risk first try.These are the category’s most recognized and most-reviewed gloves, which makes them the sensible default when you are testing whether a glove helps your hands at all.
- Anyone who wants relief on and off the court. The same warmth and compression that eases your grip during a game helps with gardening, driving or chores afterward, so the gloves earn their keep beyond pickleball.
Where they fall short
Two honest catches. First, the cotton-blend fabric is not the most breathable in heat. On a hot court or a sweaty hand they can feel warm and a little damp — fine for cooler play and everyday wear, less ideal in summer, when a lighter, airier glove might suit you better. Second, as covered above, the compression is gentle. If you are hoping for firm support, these are not it, and reaching for a heavier glove will not fix an arthritic hand any better — it just adds bulk. These are a comfort tool, and they are honest about being one.
Neither of those is a dealbreaker for the buyer they are built for; they are just the trade-offs of a light, everyday glove. The bigger thing to know is that a glove is one lever among a few. If your hands hurt, the paddle itself matters as much as anything you put on them — more on that next.
A couple of smaller notes round out the honest picture. The gloves come as a pair, which suits a two-handed game but is a little redundant if only your paddle hand troubles you — though most players find the off hand appreciates the warmth too. And like any light knit glove worn often, they will stretch and thin with heavy use over a season, so treat them as a comfort item to replace now and then rather than a one-time buy. None of that changes the verdict; it just tells you what you are getting — an inexpensive, gentle, replaceable comfort glove, not a piece of durable equipment.
How to get the most from them
The single biggest comfort gain for an arthritic hand comes from pairing the gloves with the right paddle. A cushioned gripspreads pressure across the palm instead of concentrating it, and a lighter paddle asks less of the hand on every swing — together with the gloves, that is the combination that makes the difference. See paddles for arthritis for models built around that idea. Getting the grip size right matters too: a grip that is too small makes you clench, and clenching is exactly what an arthritic hand should avoid. And for the wider picture of playing well with arthritic joints, our pickleball and arthritis guide pulls the gear, technique and activity advice together.
One habit helps more than any of this: put the gloves on before your hands stiffen, not after. Slipping them on at home and keeping them on through your warm-up means the small joints start the session already warm, which is far easier than trying to loosen a hand that has already tightened up mid-game. It is a small thing, but it is the difference between the gloves heading off stiffness and merely chasing it once it has set in.
The verdict
The IMAK Compression Arthritis Gloves are the sensible default for an arthritic paddle hand, and their reputation is deserved. Fingerless so your grip stays free, gently warming and supportive so stiff joints loosen — that is exactly the right amount of help for the hand they are built for. They are not a firm support, and they are not the coolest glove in summer heat, but neither of those matters much to the buyer who needs them. Pair them with a cushioned-grip paddle and the correct grip size, keep playing, and let the gloves do the small, steady job they are good at.