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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 130 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 I use it every day! Mar 11, 2007
By T. Zelano
I have been dealing w/ the pain of planters factitious for a while now. It's a pain having to stretch every morning or night, especially w/ a full time job and 2 children under 3. However, I leave this thing next to my bed and stretch first thing in the AM and last thing in the PM and it works very well. I first started using it while in PT and found that of all the other stretches they had me do, this one seemed like the most productive and felt the most effective.
46 of 48 found the following review helpful:
My First Step Toward Relief Of Plantar Fasciitis Dec 09, 2008
By Rob W.
"Sounddude™"
Several years ago I thought I had sustained an Achilles heel injury and went to my internist. He had x-rays and scans done of my feet and to my dismay, he said I had bone spurs on my heels, a condition caused by Plantar Fasciitis.
That wasn't the worse part of it. He said that of the treatments, and surgeries available, there was no guarantees any would work, and all could make the condition even worse. The best he could do besides those treatments was to tell me to take pain killers and he showed me how to lean forward against a wall, and stretch my calves out in a similar way I used to use when I ran.
This long leaning stretch did afford some relief to the pain but I found I had to do it every few hours every day to keep the pain manageable. So as I do with everything else, I started an exhaustive internet search for information on Plantar Fasciitis and heel spurs. I found a great site started by a doctor who also had the condition and she had conducted her own search for information and compiled it all in on her site, including information on medications, procedures, devices and exercises. I read everything there and started implementing her advice on the non-invasive recommendations.
One of the devices that came highly recommended was the ProStretch by Medi_Dyne. It basically recreated the long wall stretch I was already doing but because of the curved bottom, I didn't have to lean so far out and off balance. After searching locally and not finding one, I went back online and found that Allegro Medical sold the ProStretch as a vendor through Amazon.com at a very good price. Not being one to want to stay in pain any longer than I have to I ordered one and in a few days started doing the exercises that my doctor showed me, as well as some on the website I found and some that came with the ProStretch.
Within a few days the relief was incredible. The ProStretch does really help you keep your calf muscle stretched, which leads into a brief explanation of why this is important.
The Plantar Fascia is a band of tissues that hold the foot together. They hook from the heel, form the lower part of your arch and tie into the ball of your foot. But they are not very strong. At night, when we sleep, most people point their toes down. At the same time, the calf muscle, one of the largest and strongest in the body, pulls up on the foot, causing a terrible pull and stretch on the Plantar Fascia. This constant pulling from two directions on the boney heel causes calcium deposits to start forming all around the heel, the Achilles tendon and the Plantar Fascia. When x-rayed, they look like small sharp pieces of bone, thus the term bone spurs.
So it's a tug-a-war between the smaller weaker foot tissue and the larger stronger calf muscle. Guess who wins? The goal then is to keep the calf muscle from pulling up on the foot. That's made easier through the ProStretch. But I found that the ProStretch can't help you as you sleep. So the next part of my therapy involved getting night splints (night boots) to keep the calf muscle stretched out all night long.
I went and purchased two night splints similar to these BIRD & CRONIN PLANTAR FASCITIS SPLINT MEDIUM and began to wear them at night. Yes, it is a major adjustment to get used to wearing rigid boots on your feet while trying to sleep. But after a few nights of waking up half way through the night to take them off, I soon found that I was sleeping all the way through the night. Humans can adjust if they are motivated enough and pain is a good motivator. I must say that this was pretty much the answer to solving my heel spur pain. The night splints, as hard as it was to get used to, worked. They kept my calves flexed all night and when I awoke each morning and took them off, there was no pain like before as I made my way to the bathroom. So I thought I had found the answer, even though the thought of wearing these things the rest of my life didn't appeal at all to me, I knew I would do what I had to do to stay pain free.
Then one day on the job, a friend of mine who also suffers from the same thing came up to me and said he had found the answer. He no longer had to wear the night splints and that it was so easy and cheap I wouldn't believe him. I demanded to know and he took a shoe off and showed me a Dr.Schools Heel Adjustable Arch Support Orthotics for Men, 1 Pair. He said that he picked these up, put in the strong arch insert, and he's been pain free ever since, without having to wear the night splints. His Plantar Fasciitis had cleared up.
On the way home, I picked up a pair and I've not had to wear the night splints since. I also have not "had" to use the ProStretch either. Now I still do use the ProStretch because I like to keep my calves stretched out. If you are in pain, I would encourage you to try any and all of the suggestions I've mentioned. The cost is minimal, but the relief is wonderful! The Dr. Scholls Adjustable Arch Supports may not completely take away your pain, but it's a small cost to try.
33 of 34 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful calf stretch Oct 01, 2007
By Katherine Koch
"Katherine"
I used the prostretch when I was getting physical therapy for a broken ankle, and I liked it so much I bought one for myself. I have plantar fasciitis, and the prostretch provides a really profound and relaxing calf stretch which helps loosen up the tight muscles that cause foot tenderness and pain.
It provides such a strong stretch that I would warm up a little before using it, by walking around or doing less intense stretching of the gastrocnemious muscle in the calf.
A terrific product that does what it promises to do.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Handy Gadget Oct 15, 2008
By Josaphina Campbell
"Jo"
This is a handy little gadget. My dance instructor has one in her studio. It's held up perfectly, despite all the use and abuse it's been subjected to over the years. There are are other achilles stretches that you can do without this contraption, such as standing on a step facing "up hill" and dropping one heel off the back of the step. But my place doesn't have any steps; I live in a flat. And stretching with this device is safer and more ergonomic than that approach. Plus, it allows for a very wide range of motion, so it's effective regardless of your current level of flexibility. Speaking as a lay person, I recommend this device to any althete who is recovering from -- or wants to prevent -- achilles tendonitis. Runners and dancers are particulary vunerable to this injury. I'm not familiar with plantar fasciitis, but apparently it's good for that too.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Works good, lasts a long time! Dec 15, 2008
By K. R. Wright
I had pretty severe plantar fasciitis in my left foot/ankle. I was unable to run, and some days, even walking very much was not possible. Had moderate to severe pain everyday. Almost unable to get out of bed and even put weight on my left foot some days.
Bought one of these ProStretch devices in SEP 07 and in 5 months had almost no pain and started running again. Used it before and after exercising, and after 8-9 months have never had another reoccurrence of pain or plantar fasciitis. Still use it occasionally for preventive measure. Very heartily recommend this simple product that provided me fantastic results!!
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