|
|
Dr Nelson Clinic .com Strassburg Sock Study |
|
|
Dr Mark Nelson Foot & Ankle Specialist
Clinic Home Page
|
Strassburg Sock Night Splint Clinical Study and Review In the July/August 2002 issue of the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, an independent research study was published by Dr. Lance D. Barry. The hypothesis for his study was that in most injuries the standard treatment protocol is to immobilize the injured area and allow it to heal. In the treatment of plantar fasciitis however, we were telling the patient to stretch the plantar fascia at various times during the day. At night the foot plantar flexes and when people take those first couple of steps out of bed in the morning the pain returns because the plantar fascia is being restretched. There have been only seven studies of night splints published and only three of them were with products are commercially available; AliMed, DynaSplint and the Strassburg Sock. The other four were produced in the podiatrist’s office with available materials. In all of the other studies each group was told to stretch. Dr. Barry’s study, the second largest ever conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a night splint, consisted of 160 patients, 89 used the Strassburg sock and 71 used stretching exercises. The patients, using the Strassburg Sock night splint were told not to stretch during this treatment period. The results of the study were; the mean recovery time for the patients using the Strassburg Sock night splint was 18.5 days, 97.6% recovered within 8 weeks, and of the patients using the Strassburg Sock night splint all of them were able to use it as prescribed. We believe this to be a very important fact because in the other studies a significant number of patients did not complete the treatment due to their other brands of night splints being uncomfortable. In addition to the issue of comfort the Strassburg Sock is the only night splint that by design sets the plantar fascia to its optimum length. Most other night splints only set the ankle at 90 degrees and provide no toe dorsiflexion. Then at the patients first toe off in the morning the plantar fascia is stretched and the pain returns. The Strassburg Sock night splint takes full effect of the windlass mechanism of the plantar fascia to position it at its maximum anatomical length thereby allowing it to heal in the stretched position. The Strassburg Sock night splint comes in two sizes, the regular fits a calf size to 16” around and the large fits calf sizes 16” to 21” around. You put it on as you would a normal sock putting the “D” ring just below the knee. For those with a shorter calf, pull it up to the knee and slightly tuck the extra material under prior to attaching the base strap. After attaching the base strap around the upper portion of the calf, set the ankle in a 90 degree position and pass the toe (tension) strap through the “D” ring. Raise the toes about 1” off of the ground and attach the Velcro strap. If you feel discomfort in the foot or toes you have it on to tight and you should release some of the tension. The Strassburg Sock night splint should not be uncomfortable. Some doctors suggest that their patients wear the Strassburg Sock night splint in the evening after dinner while they read the paper or watch TV. This way they get 3-4 hours stretch combined with 6-8 hours sleeping, you’re looking at almost a half of the day with the plantar fascia is healing in the stretched position. Many patients tell us they feel some relief after the first couple of nights use. Click here to ORDER the STRASSBURG SOCK NIGHT SPLINT and receive a FREE bonus Biofreeze pain relief gel sample (limited time offer). Click here to read more about the STRASSBURG SOCK NIGHT SPLINT study. |
|
Send email to
the webmaster with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
