Plantar Fasciitis Wraps And Socks
Plantar fasciitis is an overuse injury that can be extremely painful. The plantar fascia is a strong, thick band of fascia that runs underneath your foot from the heel to the toes. Consistent and repetitive stretching of the plantar fascia can end up causing inflammation, and subsequently, pain. Combine this with the fact that it’s under your foot, so you will feel it every time you walk, and you may be able to see why it can be so debilitating.
Usually the pain begins underneath the heel and over time will gradually radiate towards the toes. Many people report feeling the most paint first thing in the morning, sometimes barely even being able to walk around the house. It may gradually dissipate over the course of the day, perhaps even coming close to being pain-free, but if left untreated, it’s virtually certain that this cycle will repeat itself the next day.
This injury can keep runners sidelined for some time, and if it’s not properly addressed and treated, it will become a nagging injury that seems almost impossible to solve. Therefore, if you end up being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, it’s a good idea to commit to your treatment plan right away and stick with it, which will help get you back on your feet as soon as possible.
Lastly, this isn’t just a runner’s injury. Those who spend a lot of time on their feet for their profession, or simply for leisure, or individuals who are overweight or obese, are also more vulnerable to developing plantar fasciitis. The same thing applies in this situation. Seeking prompt treatment and sticking to the plan will help get you back on your feet, ultimately allowing you to stay active and achieve your healthy living goals.
In this article, we will review some of our top picks for the best plantar fasciitis wraps and socks, which represent convenient and affordable methods to help alleviate the pain associated with plantar fasciitis. Hopefully these can help you get back on track in no time! If you’re looking for something that is meant primarily for when you’re sleeping, check out our reviews of plantar fasciitis night splints.
NatraCure Cold/Hot Therapy Wrap
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This cold/hot therapy wrap is an excellent option for helping you treat plantar fasciitis. It provides compression, which can help reduce the stress being placed on the plantar fascia, allowing it to heal more quickly, and it also helps to alleviate the pain associated with this condition.
Secondly, the integrated gel pack can be put in the freezer, refrigerator, or microwave, depending on what you need it for. While many people are enticed to use heat to further help with the pain, this actually won’t address the fundamental cause of the plantar fasciitis, and in some cases could actually make it a little worst.
Therefore, if you intend on using this for plantar fasciitis, we suggest placing an emphasis on using the gel pack for cooling, whether it be put in the refrigerator for ice application, or even just the fridge for a more comfortable cool-down. Applying ice to the area will help reduce the inflammation, and over time, you will experience less bouts of pain. A nice advantage this has over simply putting ice cubes in a bag is that it won’t leak, and the form-fitting gel pack will allow you to maximize the surface area for your application of the ice.
Overall, this plantar fasciitis wrap offers great value. It can be worn during the day or at night, and the design makes it easy to put an and take off whenever you need. The incorporation of the gel pack makes it a little more bulky than a standard wrap, but the benefit is that the application of ice can really help speed up your recovery. Furthermore, this strap isn’t only limited to your foot. While it isn’t huge, it can be used on other areas of the body like the wrist, ankle, and elbow, so there is some versatility associated with it.
Foots Love Plantar Fasciitis Compression Wrap
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This is the type of plantar fasciitis wrap that most people are familiar with. It’s slim and simple, so it can be worn discretely and comfortably under a sock. It’s comfortable in a shoe, so offers a great way to help with your injury while still going about your daily activities.
In this case, the compression will help to support the arch of your foot, and the compression on the plantar fascia will help disperse forces, helping to take the load off vulnerable areas without interfering with your normal movement. Some people worry that since it doesn’t offer any sort of cooling/ice mechanism, that the fabric may cause their foot to heat up, and thus promote further inflammation. In this case, you don’t need to worry. The fabric is so thin and it only covers a small portion of your foot, so you should have adequate ventilation.
The fabric is also infused with copper, and there is some evidence out there that this can help to promote the healing process, particularly as it relates to soft tissue. However, we think taking a slightly skeptical approach can be healthy, as this has yet to gain widespread acceptance. For now, we would suggest focusing simply on the design of the wrap and the compression that it offers.
Overall, this can be a valuable tool for anyone suffering from plantar fasciitis. However, compared to the NatraCure ice/heat wrap that we reviewed above there are some pros and cons. This wrap is much more slim, so can be more easily worn under socks and shoes and won’t interfere with any of your normal movement, but the trade off is that you don’t receive any of the benefits of ice and it is limited to being applied to the foot. At the end of the day, the choice will simply come down to personal preference and where you are at in your recovery. They are both very affordable, so we would say that both of those products offer great value.
Vive Plantar Fasciitis Strap
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The Vive Plantar Fasciitis Strap is almost a combination between the NatraCure Cold/Hot Therapy Wrap and the Foots Love Plantar Fasciitis Compression wrap. While you don’t get any ice or heat capability with the Vive strap, it does come with a gel pad which is placed underneath your foot, which helps enhance comfort and distributes the pressure over a wider area.
The strap is fully adjustable, so you can customize the amount of compression you receive. Given this works with a Velcro fastener, it’s not quite as slim as the Foots Love wrap, but it still minimizes the amount of material as much as possible, so by no means would we consider this bulky.
There is a rubber lining on the inside of the strap that prevents any sort of slippage throughout the day, and the material doesn’t retain heat to a large degree, so it won’t become too hot. It canbe worn for as long as you feel necessary, but some customers have noted that it’s most effective within the first 5-7 hours, after which lots of standing and walking can simply begin taking over once again. Nevertheless, that’s still quite a bit of relief for those constantly suffering from plantar fasciitis pain.
Overall, this is a Vive strap provides substantial and comfortable arch support with full adjustable levels of compression. It’s not too bulky, and the gel pad won’t slip around throughout the day thanks to the rubber lining, and it won’t squish too much when you stand on it, ensuring solid support throughout the day. This pad isn’t meant to be frozen, so it technically doesn’t come with the ice capability, but the support and compression is often what makes the biggest difference for most people anyway.
Thirty48 Plantar Fasciitis Compression Socks
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Compression socks are good for anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet, especially those who are often in stationary positions. They provide graduated compression, which helps facilitate blood flow up the legs, that is, blood in the veins returning to the heart by preventing pooling of the blood in the lower feet and legs.
These particular compression socks are great for plantar fasciitis because they provide a good level of compression in the right spots and help to align the ankle and support the arch of the foot. The compression provides by these socks is 20-30 mmHg, which by compression sock standards, is considered relatively strong. They place pressure on the muscles and nerves of the foot, ultimately relieving pain on the plantar fascia by dispersing the typical forces acting on the bottom of the foot, relieving the stress that often leads to the pain.
Given these are socks, it’s pretty obvious they are one of the most slim designs. They aren’t quite as minimal as the Foots Love Wrap we reviewed above, as the socks generally cover more of the foot and ankle, but in terms of thickness, these are really easy to wear under shoes, or even under another pair of socks if you want. The only downside is that some people find they can get a little hot over a while, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for plantar fasciitis, but it can help reduce some of the pain and the benefits of compression outweigh the negatives brought on by a little heat insulation.
The fabric is quite light, and it is made from a blend of 75% Nylon and 25% Spandex, so they are nice and stretchy. They also provide this sort of elasticity and compression around the ankle joint, so they can also be used to provide a tiny bit of extra stability to the joint, leading to a subtle reduction in the risk of ankle sprains.
Overall, these are an alternative to the standard plantar fasciitis wraps that combine the compression of those designs with the more practical design of the sock. As we mentioned above, they also provide some additional benefits not necessarily related to plantar fasciitis, so if you have multiple issues going on with your feet and ankles, these could definitely be worth considering.
Bitly Plantar Fasciitis Compression Socks
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These Bitly Compression socks are very similar to the Thirty48 compression socks we reviewed above, but they provide a little more targeted compression on the bottom of the foot just in front of the heel, which is where many people feel the most pain with plantar fasciitis.
These socks also provide some support around the ankle, so there are the same additional benefits as well (e.g. better foot/ankle alignment and added ankle stability), but we wouldn’t say this is really on the same level as the Thrity48 socks. Therefore, we would consider the Bitly socks to be a little more specific to plantar fasciitis and the Thirty48 to be a little more versatile, but at the end of the day, the differences really are quite minimal.
These Bitly socks come in a wide variety of sizes for an optimized fit. You just need to refer to the sizing chart that they provide. They also have many different colors available, so you can find something that suits your needs. Maybe you need to wear them in a professional setting, or perhaps you’re looking for a more sporty appearance. In any case, you have quite a few options here.
Overall, these compression socks are well reviewed by many customers who have been suffering from plantar fasciitis. The biggest advantage of compression socks is that they can provide significant pain relief without compromising your comfort or ability to move. Generally speaking, both these and the Thirt48 compression socks provide good value.