Plantar fasciitis is characterised by pain and inflammation of the plantar fascia which originates from the base of the heel and goes along the sole of the foot attaching to the toes. Pain is usually present on the inside of the heel and the patient usually complains of pain when first rising in the morning and after long periods of walking and standing. The pain tends to ease during the day and returns after being off your feet.

Conservative treatment options include orthotics, heel pain, strapping, stretching, corticosteriod injections and night splints.

The benefit of night splints involves stretching the plantar fascia. Normally when you sleep the foot tends to flex inwards which causes the plantar fascia to shorten and relax. This is the reason why the 1st few steps in the morning are so painful. The idea of the night splint is that it retains tension on the plantar fascia and reduces stress to the intrinsic muscles which reduces pain.

Over time the nights splint stretches the plantar fascia and decreases tension in the plantar fascia and Achilles tension. This will help to address the underlying cause of heel pain which is the gait (walking) cycle. This also acts as a preventative measure to prevent your suffering from plantar fasciitis again. One of the most common biochemical causes of heel pain is a condition called over pronation. Your feet compensate for the lack of upward movement (dorsiflexion) by rotating in excessively. This causes unstable joints in the feet and puts stress on the plantar fascia. The night splint reduces tension on the Achilles tendon and intrinsic foot muscles to prevent over pronation and thereby prevent plantar fasciitis.