Night Splints for Heel Pain, Plantar Fasciitis & More

Although overnight use is not its only function, a night splint gets its name because people typically wear it while sleeping to help remedy conditions such as Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis. Supports like the Cool Stretch – Night Splint brace your foot in a 90-degree dorsiflexed position. This position prevents your Achilles tendon from contracting by stretching it from the rear of your heel. To get the best results, you should wear it every night for several months, reducing the frequency of wear as the symptoms subside.

There are two types of night splints: dorsal and posterior (boot). The dorsal splint is hard-plastic support that cradles your shin and the top of your foot to securely hold it at 90-degree angles while leaving your arch and heel free to breathe. Conversely, the Posterior (Boot) splint shores up the back of your leg and calf while extending under your foot. It is typically bigger than the dorsal splint.

The best splint for plantar fasciitis has an easy-on, easy-off design, washable material, and excellent ventilation. Four supports that fit that description are the Cool Stretch™-Night Stretch, Dorsi Wedge Night Splint, and the Advantage™ Premier Adjustable Night Splint. Overall, Cool Stretch™ satisfies all the requirements with a removable Sealed Ice™ pack, easy removal, and lightweight materials. A Dorsi Wedge Night Sprint is very kind to the skin overnight while providing security and release design for 10 degrees of dorsiflexion quality. Also, Advantage™ Premier Night Splints add smooth adjustability and a 5-degree foam forefoot wedge for extra stretching capabilities.

Several significant studies indicate that people who wear night splints experience substantial improvement for conditions like plantar fasciitis. These supports are especially effective when they are part of other treatments. For this reason, doctors typically prescribe the use of night splints for tendon and heal related ailments in conjunction with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physiotherapy, and other ortho aids. Night splints work so well because they reduce inflammation and extend active treatment into bedtime.

Night splint suppliers usually include cleaning instructions in the packaging. However, wash your splint in cold water with mild soap or laundry detergent as a default method. Then, allow the splint to air or sun-dry. Make sure to store your night splint in a dry, well-ventilated area. Also, you should never put your splint away in a damp condition because the wet support could attract mold or pathogens.

Many people mistakenly believe that you can only wear a night splint for overnight treatment. However, you can wear your night splint or foot splint during the day, provided you remain sedentary. So, you can safely wear it while watching a movie on Netflix or lounging on the couch.

When you need to immobilize your elbow, you can support it with the Comfy Splints™ Elbow. It immobilizes joints to rest your elbow’s ligaments and muscles while keeping a natural bone alignment. If you have tendon problems in other parts of your body, you can find foot splints, elbow night splint, arm straightening night splint, and carpal tunnel night splints at Allegro Medical.com.