Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

People seem to give this item a poor grade for one of the following reasons: (1) The strap-to-boot connection broke (2) Their feet or toes went numb while wearing the splint (3) The splint is generally uncomfortable Here's my response to each of the above three criticisms. (1) People point out that the strap-to-boot connections are of low quality, or too weak for the boot. Both claims are probably true. But I've been wearing one of these boots on each of my feet for six months now, and they do not show any signs of near failure. Why? I NEVER WALK OR STAND while wearing these splints. Ever. Period. These under-sized connections hold up just fine when laying or sitting - doing puts only a small, static load on the connections. But walking puts a high, dynamic load on them - no wonder they fail. These splints are not difficult to take on or off. Three snaps and you're out. Even for the 3 am bathroom run, it's no problem to remove them (if you have serious PF and don't walk barefoot, then removing the boot is far less inconvenient than stretching or putting on shoes just to walk to the bathroom). SUMMARY: Never walk or stand in this. It is not difficult or inconvenient to remove. (2) This happened to me during the first couple weeks of sleeping in this splint. Because of the strap configuration, you really need to tighten down the straps to keep your foot locked in the optimal position. However, this tightness may cause your feet or toes to go numb, or cause pain on the top-side of your foot. How to get around this? LOOSEN THE STRAPS! Your foot may not be in the optimal position, but your plantar fascia will still be neutral, or in very mild tension, and that's all you really need to promote flexibility and healthy healing. SUMMARY: You don't need to keep the straps all that tight to keep your foot in a healthy position. (3) Uncomfortable isn't the best word. Awkward is more appropriate. I've always been able to sleep as peacefully with these splints on as I would without...once I got the straps adjusted right, that is. It's not so conducive to sleeping on your stomach, which I do miss, but oh well. I will say that on weekends when I'm sleeping in, it's harder to sleep and sleep and sleep like I normally do, because once I wake up, I become more conscious of the boots presence. But, in general, this boot hasn't affected my ability to get a good night's sleep at all. SUMMARY: You have a big plastic boot on your foot - it's not going to go unnoticed. But it's not really a nuisance. BOTTOM LINE This thing holds up fine if you treat it gently. Any inconveniences this splint has are MINISCULE compared to the inconveniences of plantar fasciitis. This will help your feet heal.