MARS WELLNESS Comfort Dorsal Night Splint - Pain Relief from Plantar Fasciitis, Drop Foot, and Achilles Tendinitis - Large

Tonight will be my third night wearing these so I thought I'd give early impressions. I have issues with my Achilles tendon and plantar fasciitis. I've googled stretching and exercises and have also added some tools to my arsenal--these night splints being one. Initially I thought they fit horribly. If you think that too, stick with it! It really takes some fiddling to get it workable--still not a perfect fit but workable. Put the boot on without any straps fastened and then start by fitting it at the TOP. It's counter-intuitive but otherwise you'll start at the bottom and by the time you get to the top, it'll be jutting out. I found for the top to fit, the splint had to be pushed down a bit lower on my leg. Take some time playing with the straps and figure that the first night in particular, you'll get uncomfy somewhere because you'll have it slightly wrong. I wore thin socks underneath and the first night I must have the splint too tight over my heels because I woke with them stinging. Took off the splints for the remainder of the night. My feet and ankles were less stiff in the morning, even though I'd only worn the splints for a few hours. Last night, I adjusted the heels better and didn't have to take them off. Feet seemed less stiff when I got up, though I still have the same pain/stiffness issues at other points during the day. Early impressions are that this won't be a quick fix but seems helpful as part of a larger approach. I'll update with later results. Update: I've been using these for a few weeks and even took them on vacation (note: not a sexy look and a little bulky to pack). I didn't do my tendon exercises on vacation (no stairs) and that hasn't helped. Overall these boots are somewhat helpful but my issues continue. I'm still wearing them every night so that says something though. I worried having my feet in a set position all night would be uncomfortable but I can wiggle them around some so that's good. They don't fit me terribly well although I have no basis of comparison--maybe this odd shape is typical of these contraptions. Apparently Walgreens sells night splints and I may check theirs out just to see. Second update: I downgraded my rating to three stars. After six weeks of use, I continue to be frustrated with how these splints fit my feet. There are three Velcro straps to hold the splint to your foot. The middle strap is just too short. It would be less of an issue if the rest of the splint fit better but a short strap going around my heel just limits how much flexibility I have in adjusting the ones around my toe and calf. And given that my heels are sore from PF, I don't want the band behind them to be tight at all, which it is much of the time because the strap is not long enough. I have no basis of comparison with other splints, and I continue to use these but I'm becoming increasingly more annoyed by them. And overall my mornings are less painful but my PF continues unchanged. Sigh.

I had high hopes. This looked substantial and supportive in the picture, and when it arrived, it looked the same. Putting it on for the first time, however, the "dorsi-flexion strap" snapped free of the distal (foot) end of the splint--the rivet holding the strap onto the splint broke, and so the strap would not attach at the distal (foot) end of the splint anymore. I wanted to try the splint for fit and comfort anyway, so I could decide whether or not to ask for a replacement. The first thing I noticed was that although I ordered the "large" size, the splint and the attachment straps was pretty small. I wear size 11.5 running shoes--so yes, large feet. But even stretching the attachment straps, the distal strap wasn't quite under the ball of my foot, and the heel strap was stretched to its limit--and squeezing my heel almost painfully from the get-go. Without the dorsi-flexion strap attached, I have no idea how much tension you can put onto the splint to get your foot/ankle past 90 degrees. I definitely could not get enough flexion in my ankle to get a good stretch in my calf & achilles. I don't know if a working strap would have allowed me to get enough of a stretch in my calf & achilles, but I'm not optimistic. There was a lot of play in the straps that attached to the ball of the foot, and so I feel like even had I been able to crank the tension in that strap, the split wouldn't have gotten me enough flexion to stretch like I feel like I need. Finally, the straps not fitting right ended up becoming painful as the night wore on. I woke at 4 in the morning in so much pain from the heel strap cutting into my foot that I had to take the whole thing off. In summary, this splint looked good but ultimately failed in 3 respects: 1) Defective, with strap breaking off upon first attempt at fitting 2) Splint did not provide enough flexion in my ankle to get a good stretch in my calf & achilles tendon 3) Splint was too small, straps fit poorly and painfully So even had the rivet on the dorsi-flexion strap not broken, I wouldn't have gotten any use out of this splint. Maybe it would have provided enough flexion to get me relief from my plantar fasciitis, but given how poorly the straps on this "large" splint fit my size 11.5 feet and cut into my heel, there's no way I would've been able to tolerate wearing it long enough at night.

As a follow-up two years or so following purchase, The symptoms of plantar fasciitis are resolved. The resolution came about by using the brace at night and occasionally during the day while resting; a 1 inch strap brace around the plantar area when wearing shoes; and soft inner soles from the local sporting goods store. It then dawned on me what caused the problem to begin with: Tucked-in bedding. It extends the feet, causing the Plantar Fasciitis. I have not tucked in the corners of sheets and blankets for nearly a year and this accelerated my recovery to the point of being cured. UNTUCK THE BEDDING. A follow-up review, one year or so after purchase and use. This brace did relieve my symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis. I first used it on my left foot which had lesser symptoms. The left was soon symptom free, probably because I dealt with the problem at its beginning. The right is well advanced but soon experienced great relief of symptoms. The splint is most helpful when one is sleeping. Fortunately the splint is small and not bulky. There is not much notice of the brace while sleeping. I discovered that using the brace while relaxing during the day was helpful in keeping the foot bent, further reducing the long term problem of retracted tendons. One can walk very short distances indoors with the splint but I do not recommend it. This is not a walking brace. One reason for not walking in this splint as it increases wear at the heal area. The velcro-like straps are large enough for adjustment and for ease of removal of the splint. After a year of use, the top strap did not adhere as well as the other straps. After a year of use, the heel area has enlarged. It would benefit by more stitching in order to be more durable. The splint is still usable of course. I expected the splint to be serviceable for about a year as is the case with most such devices. Mine is still in service though I will replace it in the fairly near future because a fresh brace works best. This splint does offer relief, though experiences will vary of course.

I was really looking forward to wearing these tonight. I have been using strassburg socks with a single strap, but they slip down at night. These looked like they would be more secure, but not too bulky to sleep in. When I got home to find the package, I opened it right away. Trying to figure out how it went on took a few seconds, but not too long. I unstrapped everything, and then I kept trying to bend this to make it fit. Oddly, the hard plastic part on top is too small while the part that goes around the heel is too big. The part that went around the lower calf was way too small, and the part at the toe was just about right. What foot was this for?! Admittedly, I probably needed an xl (which they don't make) for my calf, so I knew that was a concern. Still, the plastic part that goes on top of the foot is very narrow and that has nothing to do with weight. It should be supportive, but much more flexible to allow for fitting more people. I really wish this had worked. I tried both feet several times before giving up and asking to return it as it does not fit my women's size 11 foot as it said it would. Back to the drawing board looking for something that will fit. Sigh...

The velcro strips on the night split do not stick all the way to the end of the strip. The adjustment straps are not easy to adjust either. Even so, I got comfort from the night split. I would recommend another supplier. The night splint is relatively comfortable to wear at night. At first, I took it off after 3 or 4 hours at night and gradually was able to wear it all night long.