As there are a lot of people buying this clever little device to address a painful foot condition known as plantar fasciitis, I thought I'd throw in my two bits for what it's worth. First of all, you can use this device to help PREVENT plantar fasciitis. How does that work?Well, risk-factor studies show that if a person can't pull their foot up towards their head sufficiently (a motion called dorsiflexion), then they have an increased risk of getting plantar fasciitis. Since the ProStretch loosens up the muscles that keep you from pulling your foot up, it can increase dorsiflexion and decrease your chances of getting plantar fasciitis.Problem is, how much stretching does one have to do to really do to make the leg muscles more flexible?
Well, according to the book, The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution, which has painstakingly gone through all the randomized controlled trials comparing static calf muscle stretching to no stretching in order to get to the bottom of things, the most efficient way to get the job done is to hold a stretch position for twenty seconds, do it four times daily, three days out of the week (Knight 2001). There are other combinations of hold times and frequencies that will work, but this way is by far the most efficient(if you look at the table in the book, you'll see what I mean). Using these guidelines, you will gain about 6 degrees in 6 weeks. Individuals looking to stretch out their calf muscles and increase their length for other reasons (i.e. running, sports...) will also want to use these guidelines.
The second reason to use the ProStretch when it comes to plantar fasciitis, is to help TREAT and get rid of this painful condition. To my knowledge, there is only one randomized controlled trial that has tested out the effectiveness of doing just calf muscle stretching alone to get rid of plantar fasciitis. It goes something like this:
-one group of volunteers stretched their calf muscles for 3 minutes, three times daily, while another group did five 20-second stretches two times a day (Porter 2002).At follow-up four months later, both groups improved with no differences in any aspect of their outcome.
So it seems that based upon the LIMITED evidence (you gotta go with what you got), calf muscle stretching alone IS an effective treatment for plantar fasciitis. Therefore, if you want to use the ProStretch to help treat your plantar fasciitis, I suggest using any of the two stretching guidlelines above. Hope this helps potential buyers.
Product Description
A University of Colorado study proves the Prostretch stretches the heel cord more effectively by preventing the malalignment and compensatory pronation associated with wall or stair stretching. The ProStretch directs body weight into its heel cup, which prevents co-contraction and weight bearing on the metatarsals.
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