At four o’clock my Dynasplint consultant arrived at my office. Back in Part 1, I shared with you all that I work for this company and so I was fortunate to meet her as she came in for other business. It feels so different to be the patient this time. I have been in the field video-taping patients, or in the edit bay helping to relate others’ experiences with Dynasplint and their stories, but today- it is my turn. My consultant custom fit my splint and then explained how to wear it. The trick is to have the ankle resting in a non-weight bearing position by placing a pillow under the knee and shin. So far- it’s easy breezy and pretty comfy.

In my Ankle Dynasplint

Now on to the challenge of how long to wear it and when. For Plantar Fasciitis, the very best results come from wearing this splint at night…overnight to be exact. Remember from yesterday’s post that there is a physiological reason for this. Now, I am not the best sleeper to begin with (thanks a lot, Dad and Grandpa) so I am concerned about this. My consultant said to wear it to bed, but the first time it woke me up to take it off and go back to sleep. Just building up to 6-8 hours is the goal.
My results so far:
1. On night one, I watched TV in the splint on the couch from 8-10:00PM and then wore it in bed until I woke up at 1:00AM when I took it off. The dogs woke us up at 6:00AM, so I put it back on for coffee and news time in bed (maybe my favorite part of the day) until about 7:45AM. When I add it up, I got about 6 ½ hours of wear time. Not bad…
2. On night two, I lasted until 2:00AM and then the same routine of ripping it off and putting back on early morning.
3. On nights 3 and 4, I slept through the night in my splint. I like lying on the non-splint side with a king-sized pillow between my legs with the good leg back and under, and the splint on top and forward. (I will need to photograph that one for you.)
4. Nights 5 and 6 were back to ½ and ½ and so it goes. I really don’t mind it, and can literally Velcro it on and off in my sleep. And I do.
And. . . . (drumroll please) It is making a difference already. Ask the husband about my first steps of the morning. There is much less racket because there is much less pain. I am very hopeful that over the next 3 months, I will experience that lasting change that’s promised.
During this entire saga, I haven’t treadmill-ed, or Zumba-ed, but I have been working out. As it turns out I love Bikram yoga! It’s great for my range of motion, flexibility and general well-being. Leave a comment with plantar fasciitis mentioned and you are entered in the Lululemon Align Ultra Mat and No Brainer Mat Strap FREE GIVEWAY. Now you too can fling your mat over your shoulder and head out to class with the cool kids. Keep moving!