Ossur Airform Night Splint

The good news is - this really works and my plantar fasciitis is gone after using it for two weeks. The bad news is - it is really a pain to use. I bought it because this is my second round with plantar fasciitis, and the night splint I used previously - with a hard plastic mold that fit on top of the foot and velcro straps under my foot and around my calf - no longer worked. I don't know how it happened, but I started to wake up in the night with my foot out of that splint. I needed something my foot could not escape, and this splint meets that criteria. However, it is a pain to put on, requiring you to lean all the way down to fasten three buckles. The instructions that came with it say you should never walk in it, but that makes middle-of-the-night bathroom trips a nightmare. I can see why they say not to walk - with your foot in the flexed position, your knee is not in alignment and you put a lot of strain on your knee. However, I was unwilling to undo all three buckles in the middle of the night and then try to re-fasten them in the dark without waking my husband. I determined that the "safest" way for me to walk is backwards. It sounds strange, but as I said in the first sentence, my plantar fasciitis is gone so who cares? It's also difficult to fall asleep with this contraption on your foot, so you might consider some melatonin, lavender essential oil or even a Tylenol PM to try to help you fall asleep. But walking without pain is worth all of this to me!

I didn't find this product helpful. I couldn't tolerate wearing it at night - usually at some point I would wake up thinking I was being attacked and throw it out of bed after a heroic struggle. The sizing instructions were not at all helpful. The foot size seemed fine, but the top-most strap was not long enough to fit around my monster calves - they really should figure that into the sizing chart (or better yet, just make the straps really long). It was not hard to buckle the ankle strap and foot strap for my right foot since the buckles were on the inside (on the left side of the boot). But when I tried putting it on the left, it was an exhausting task that took way more time than it should have. They should probably have buckles on each side so you don't have to deal with that. Or else plan on having someone help you. Too bad if you're single. On the positive side, the boot seemed to be well-constructed. The buckles worked fine, there was padding over the straps to make wearing it less uncomfortable. If it fits you properly and you can stand wearing it, I suspect it will hold up for years.

So I have been dealing with plantar fasciitis on and off for about 2 years now. Recently they started to really flare up and I finally decided to try some products out. Since I go snowboarding every weekend, I didn't want this pain to hold me back. I tried this night splint for the first time last night and I can already tell, I am walking like a normal person again. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is because it does get a bit uncomfortable. I am generally a light to medium sleeper and I woke up in the middle of the night to take the splint off because it just felt awkward and I figured a few hours of it on was sufficient for the night. When I finally fully woke up in the morning, I was able to get out of bed to turn off my alarm without any pain. Awesome. Imagine waking up in the morning to an annoying alarm and the first thing you feel is pain in your foot getting out of bed. I'm sure I will get used to the uncomfortable and awkward feeling over time.