PowerStepDorsal Night Splints

This night splint is probably about 4.5 stars...The REVIEW:My INJURIES -- I have had plantar fasciitis since 2009 with symptoms being light until the past couple of months where I noticed a dorsal heel spur and felt that I likely had Achilles tendinitis. I saw my podiatrist surgeon and he said I have a lot of "itis" via plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, a dorsal heel spur and possibly Haglund's Deformity. He recommended the ROM exercises I have done before (for peroneal tendinitis), anti-inflammatory creams, icing, anti-inflammatory supplements (quercetin w/bromelain, turmeric w/black pepper, ginger, cinnamon) that I normally take and to use a night splint when I sleep. He stated that the night splint would help more than everything else on this list. I shopped away and there were so many negative reviews on many splints that I chose this Powerstep night splint because I trusted the brand. My podiatrist put me in their orthotics back in 2009 and they were well made and provided a lot of relief. Plus the reviews for this product were better than most. He did not think I needed the "boot type" of night splint plus years ago I twisted my knee in the middle of the night when turning over in bed (I am a side sleeper).MY SIZE -- I am 6' 1/2" tall and I weight 172 pounds with a blended mesomorph/ectomorph build. I wear a size 12 shoe 99% of the time with all brands and I bought the size L (large) for men's shoe sizes 9-14.QUALITY and MATERIALS -- The splint is nice and thick and durable with quality looking Velcro, neoprene type material. A minor complaint is that it came in a thin slightly durable plastic bag that was ripped open. This was of course in the Amazon plastic shipping bag so the splint wasn't damaged. I would have expected better from this company (ex. durable ziplock type bag) at this price point but I guess all the monies went into the splint itself which is the priority.EASY TO APPLY -- Overall it is very easy to apply. I try to be gentle and slow so that the Velcro and materials do not get worn out too soon. Getting the strap hooked in can be a little tricky with it wanting to hide but you just have to pull it out some. Not a big deal. It would be nice if the plastic shell was made of aluminum so you could adjust the degree/angle of flexion more.FEATURES and COMFORT -- I used a thick cotton tube sock underneath to increase likelihood of it being comfortable. This works well with the sock feeling a bit warm and humid by morning (August in Southern California does not help) but not wet given the splint materials are not very breathable. You will have to fine tune the tightness to determine what works for your individual injury and sensitivities. One night I had it a little to tight in the heel and I had to adjust it. Another night I had it a little too tight in the toes and another night the Achilles became a bit agitated so I loosened it up. That being said it is overall very comfortable and hasn't affected my sleep.NIGHT BATHROOM TRIPS -- Their directions say "DO NOT WALK IN THIS SPLINT" in their user guide. However, I cannot go the whole night without using the bathroom and there is no way I am taking this off and re-applying it at 2am. As a result, I decided to walk carefully and slowly on either my heel of the injured foot or my tip toes of the injured foot. I found this to work out pretty well. I sat on the toilet to make it even easier.RESULTS -- It is literally like "NIGHT and DAY" with the morning first steps out of bed no longer being uncomfortable or painful. My podiatrist was spot-on correct on this.All-in-all, I find this to be a very well made and effective night splint for various foot and lower leg injuries.

This splint is working for me. My plantar fasciitis symptoms are decreasing. It is not too hot or itchy. I can tolerate it all night with a modification to the heel "cup". The circular opening around the heel feels fine when I go to bed but starts cutting into my skin but midway through the night. I had to unstrap that component which was not the end of the world. The other 2 straps provided sufficient dorsi flexion stabilization but not as much as I desire. I made perpendicular cuts in the circular opening where I was getting too much pressure on my skin. This helps and I am comfortable in the brace for the night.Ideally I would like a little more dorsi flexion. This does not hold be at 90 degrees all night. But my symptoms are decreasing. I've been using it about a week. If they don't go in away completely in another week or 2 I will try a brace with a strap to customize the amount of dorsi flexion. Prior to this brace, I tried the sock style splint. It did not work for me at night. In order to get sufficient dorsi flexion it put too much pressure on my great toe. I could not tolerate it at night for more than a couple of hours. My particular "brand" of plantar fasciitis is along the band of fascia going to my great toe so I use the sock brace for a more aggressive and sustained stretch when I will be sitting for an extended period of time ( like right now while I am on the computer).

This stays put due to the heel design. It feels tight around the top of my foot, but it really isn't tight at all because I am able to slip my fingers through easily. It's more that I have a bunion that's sensitive, which has nothing to do with the product itself. That part of my foot is a little wide, so a relatively wide foot might be a little snug. I give it 4 stars because although it keeps me from flexing my foot, its angle is less than what I can get with a boot I got from my podiatrist. Also, there isn't enough strap at the top of my foot to wrap around, so it barely gets an edge attached. For a not-so-wide foot, this probably won't be an issue. It hasn't detached yet while I sleep, but a little more length would've been nice.The best part about this splint is that I can sleep in it. I can rest my other foot on top, move from one side to the other, and it stays put and is comfortable. I'm not hitting plastic or having to modify my sleeping positions in any way. It truly is a night splint.

Fits well and easy to put on

This actually feels like it's doing nothing, but if I can stand to leave it on all night, my heel feels delightfully better (not cured, but I can walk on it with noticeably less pain). The only thing I have to do is wear a loose fitting sock with it. The material that straddles the heel ends up feeling like it's cutting into my skin, it's not, but it is very uncomfortable to the point I have to take the splint off. So, I found if I wear a long sock that isn't too tight around my calf, it will take the "pain" away from that area of my heel, and can sleep in it with no troubles.

The splint is comfortable to me. It's soft and has a lots of padding. The plastic isn't molded that great and doesn't sit flush against the shin. Also there is nothing to pull or push the foot up to a angle to get a uninterrupted stretch. It was comfortable for me to sleep in but not to walk in. The only great thing about this splint is that it holds the foot in place while I sleep and stops me from pointing my toe down. My heel pain has decreased a little but I'm pretty sure if the splint did any stretching it would be so much better.

As described, good product