MYTH: Night Splints are Effective
REALITY: Night Splints Are DAMAGING
Devices that are designed to stretch the plantar fascia, such as night splints, will only make your condition worse. Night splints actually re-injure your plantar every time that you wear them. When you sleep, your body has a chance to try to repair the plantar by attempting to pull the ligament back together. Wearing a night splint means that your plantar fascia doesn’t get a chance to heal, because you’re re-stretching it and re-tearing it. This means more damage to the plantar fascia, more pain, and a longer recovery time.
When your plantar is on stretch, like it is while wearing a night splint, it’s in an unnatural position. You’ve already elongated your plantar by injuring it with microtears. You don’t want to stretch it further with a night splint. You want your plantar tissue to heal back down to it’s regular size. When your plantar tissue tries to heal in a stretched position, this can lead to further problems down the line, such as gait issues and flat feet.