Thanks to MMM and TGIP and others for providing insightful reviews! About 90 days ago I got Plantar Fasciitis by straining my foot in a tennis match. I have a runner friend who had complained about it a few years ago ... said it was incurable... was bummed because he had to give up running. I was very depressed to think I would give up tennis.I read and tried everything I could find on the net: the stretches, the icing down, rolling the foot on the little ball thingy, stretching on stairs, on 2x4. I bought PW Minor orthotic shoes and tried 20 different orthotic inserts from full foot of every gyration to heel cups. The PW shoes and the best insert form me was the "adjustable arch support" by Dr. Scholls.. you change an insert to vary how much lift) They eased the pain during walking... but no progress was being made.
Every morning, I would get out of bed, put my foot down, and stabbing pain! Then a bolt of lightning arrived with the stabbing pain: "something is happening at night to reinjure my foot!" I recalled that night splints were available for PF victims. I searched and found the A force Dorsal Night Splint! What these folks and others said made sense: this one is the smallest and least invasive of your sleep. I bought it 3 days ago.
The first night it was annoying, because my foot wanted to curl and point straight away from me to relieve the natural tension of the Plantar.. the running muscle/tissue. I got it too tight. I loosened it, then took it off mid night. (Leave it rather loose, so your foot can occasionally point down to relieve the tension of being in one position.) Even though I could only stand it half a night... the next morning I noticed that my "touchdown pain" was less. I felt so much better that I risked tennis for the second time in three months (first try was a painful disaster. Could barely walk the following day.)
When I played, I also recalled a post about an ace bandage wrap for the arch area.. and found a "wrist strap" in my tennis bag that fit my low instep foot.) Miracle! With the bandage wrapped around my arch, the Dr. Scholls adjustable arch pad... I played pretty well with some sensitivity. But there was no lingering pain afterward. And the third night with this device "touchdown pain" was very substantially reduced... almost gone!
I have a size 11.5 B foot with low instep and flat feet. I ordered the large size although some commenters said "get the smaller size." I would recommend getting the correct size: you do not want it even snug, surely not tight. With it loosely wrapped around your foot, it will keep your foot at ninety degrees plus or minus.. allowing you to move it slightly, and lessening the sensation of being restricted. This is much more comfortable. But it is still enough to accomplish keeping your foot from curling downward and tightening the PF.
The placement of the brace on the front allows greater foot movement, allows maximim air circulation, lets you place one foot on top of the foot with the brace in comfort. If you had the other kind, the edge of the brace would jab your other foot, be heavy and cumbersome if you are a flipper like I am.
I cannot tell you how happy and satisfied I am with this product. I expect I will be fully cured withing weeks, not months and years. Thank you, Amazon for this product and forum! You have given me back my life.
A night splint is the ONLY way to totally cure plantar fascitis. Period.
Don't waste your precious time and money on a podiatrist who will do one of two things, guaranteed: Tell you what I just told you and be right, or tell you to have surgery and be wrong. Do NOT let some selfish surgeon cut on you for this problem. I promise you it'll never be done on anyone I love! It NEVER works and most of the time causes worse foot problems than it solves. OK... off soapbox.
THIS splint is a mixed bag. I've worn several over the years as I've had this problem off and on since before anyone knew the name of it, and fewer could pronounce it.
It's main selling point is comfort. For a stiff splint it's light and fairly forgiving to the light sleeper like me. This means it's more likely to stay on the patient (that's you and me) through the night, which it MUST in order to do its job.
The many people who are stating in these reviews that they wind up ripping their splint off sometime during the night are NOT going to succeed at getting relief from their pain. This splint, a sock splint, ANY splint has to stay ON throughout the night, ALL night in order to work. If your PF gets as bad as mine has at times, you'll get used to having a night splint on. This one's a winner in that regard.
Unfortunately this splint does not heal my fascitis, although it may with those folks who have praised its effects. The reason it (while comfortable) does not work for me is simply my anatomy. I've got my Dad's bird-legs and a lot of give in my joints, including my ankles and feet. In order for this splint, a sock splint, ANY splint to cure PF, it must place a stretching tension (some, not too much) on the plantar fascia, the thin sling of muscle running along the bottom of the foot,
for the duration of time that the "injured" foot is at rest and trying to repair itself. This is so the repair work occurs with the foot in approximately the same position as it's in when you use it to walk.
So for me and many others, a splint must allow more options in the degree of ankle "flexion" (how much your toes point up toward your nose) before the plantar fascia can receive sufficient stretch for the tissue repairs to "hold" when the stress of the next walking or running event follows the stress of the next digital dinging, squeeking or oldie-covering event.
If that sounds like your foot, make sure you choose a splint where your ankle will not be locked at a single angle over which you have no control, as it is with this brace. Those splints are pricier but for me, they're the only ones that work, now that I can no longer seem to find sock-type splints. Those worked, but man were they HOT in the summer! (Read: The patient didn't leave them on like he should...)
-Ole TrollI've had this for a month and it seems to be working. I guess it takes 6 months, so we'll see. But it's comfortable and I look forward to wearing it because it relieves pain while I am sleeping.
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I have owned 4 different night splints and this one is the best. I have used the over the counter Futuro brand you find in the pharmacy--the ones the pull your toe up sucks. They make my toes to numb. My podiatrist gave me a very fancy one and it broke 6 months later so I was forced to go buy my own as he was charging 125 clams for his.This version is cheaper and much much better. The strap wraps around your lower calf/ankle it fits my big legs. It is comfortable to sleep in and it has a little rubber pad on the bottom which makes nighttime bathroom trips more secure. Best of all, no pull on toes and no tingly feet!
I wear a size 10 womens shoe, so i ordered the large--it fits nicely. Worth the purchase.
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This works better than my larger night splint for my plantar fasciitis. This is much more comfortable to sleep in. It could be better if the angle was a little more acute and the strap arrangement was more secure against the splingt sliding down. I put it on tight to feel more secure.
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