Experiment Time!

Experiment 1- I gathered up 2 people in my family with arthritis. Then, I gave both of them a throw away Ice Pack. I made sure the ice packs were at the same temperature too after I broke them. After waiting 10 minutes, I asked each of them how they felt about the ice pack and their comfortable “level”. I recorded all of their feelings onto a chart. After waiting 1 hour, I gave both of them a heat pack, again at the same temperature. After waiting 10 minutes, I asked each of them how they felt about the heat pack and their comfortable “level”. I again, recorded their feelings onto a chart.

Adult 1 Ice Pack: Uncomfortable, gets to cold, needs a blanket to stay warm
Adult 2 Ice Pack: Doesn’t help, too cold, uncomfortable
Adult 1 Heat Pack: Too Hot, “I need my Ice pack back!” , unpleasant
Adult 2 Heat Pack: Hot, uncomfortable

Conclusion to Experiment 1: After looking at the data I had gathered from my testing subjects, ice packs and heat packs are uncomfortable to people with arthritis. The ice pack is too cold, and the heat pack is too hot. That’s why I have created a rice bag to fix this problem.


Experiment 2: I gathered up 2 people in my family with arthritis. Then, I gave both of them a Rice Bag. I let each family member warm up their rice bag at the temperature they needed based on their pain level. After waiting 10 minutes, I asked each of them how they felt about the rice bag they heated up and their comfort “level”. I recorded all of their feelings onto a chart. I then gave them a different rice bag that they put in the freezer and waited a certain amount of time based on their pain. After waiting 10 minutes, I asked each of them how they felt about the cold rice bag and their comfort “level”. I again, recorded their feelings onto a chart.

Adult 1 Warm Rice Bag: Feels great! Way better than the heat pack.
Adult 2 Warm Rice Bag: A lot better than the heat pack
Adult 1 Cold Rice Bag: Just at the right temperature, very comfortable
Adult 2 Cold Rice Bag: Perfect for my pain! I will never use an ice pack again!

Conclusion to Experiment 2: Based on the results from my test subjects, they clearly loved the rice bag better. They liked how they could heat it up or freeze it based on their pain level. They also mentioned that they will never use a heat pack or ice pack again unless it was an emergency! :) 

-Abby

Product Design- The Rice Bag

Product Design- The Rice Bag I created can ease arthritis pain by heat or cold. You can warm it up in the microwave or freeze it in the freezer. You can decide how hot or cold you would like it on how long you leave it in the microwave or freezer. It comes in many fabric colors and types of fabrics. It also comes in different sizes. I have created a price table and design options sheet to make it easier for customers to decide.

-Abby

What's the Problem?

Problem- When someone with arthritis is in pain, they look for a heating/cooling pad or heat/ice pack to ease their pain. These things can get very hot or too cold and feel uncomfortable. I came up with a Rice Bag that will help this problem. This will make you feel comfortable and is also a very efficient way. 

-Abby

How Does Heat and Cold Help Arthritis Pain?

Heat or cold therapy works by stimulating your body's own healing force. For instance, heat expands the blood vessels, stimulates blood circulation, and reduces muscle spasms. In addition, heat alters the sensation of pain. You can use either dry heat -- such as heat packs or heat laps -- or moist heat -- such as warm baths or heated wash cloths. Conversely, cold compresses reduce swelling by constricting blood vessels. While cold packs may be uncomfortable at first, they can numb deep pain. 
Source: www.about.com 

-Abby