I have suffered with plantar fasciitis in both feet for more than five years. At times the pain was so excruciating that I feared I might end up in a wheelchair. The condition effectively halted my favorite activity (walking), and I went from three-mile daily walks to being barely able to make it around the block without being in tears. Such a chronic condition can take all the joy out of life. Anyone who has plantar fasciitis will understand what I’m saying. I tried all the usual modalities: orthotics (both custom and store-bought), gel cushions, cortisone shots, foot exercises, rolling a ball under my foot, icing with an ice bag, icing with a towel, even icing by rubbing an ice cube directly on my heel (very dangerous, but I was so desperate for relief that I was willing to try anything). A night brace helped with morning pain, but more often than not, I dreaded the thought of sitting down because I knew I would have to get up and the pain would instantly follow. My podiatrist recommended icing four times a day, but even with all those various methods, nothing helped much. I did an extensive online search for something — anything — that would take some of the pain away and found the Cold One concept of driving cold into the inflamed area by compression to make the most sense. I purchased a Cold One foot wrap but really didn’t have much faith that it would work – I was just desperate. However, by far, the wrap has been the most effective treatment method I have found. After twice- to three-times-a-day use for only a few days, my pain began to subside, and after a couple of weeks of regular treatment, it was gone. If I overstress my foot, of course, it returns, but a couple of sessions with my wrap have routinely taken care of the flare-ups, and even at its worst, my pain is nowhere near where it was before. I am back to walking and I use the wrap post-walk so that the pain does not get out of hand (or foot!). The intensity of the cold can take some getting used to, but patience is rewarded. It certainly helped me, and I have recommended it to others. Please, if you have plantar fasciitis pain, give this product a try. I am so glad I did.
I bough the Plantar Fascitis Wrap. It was great – I could keep it securely wrapped on my foot. The icing treatment during the day (which I could take along to work) along with the Strausburg Sock at night stretching my foot while I slept did the trick for me. The pain lessended daily unitl I could finally get out of bed and go about my day without pain.
I also purchased the Plantar Fasciitis Wrap. I love it. I always keep it in the freezer just in case my foot acts up. Unlike an ice pack or cubes wrapped in a towel it stays securely on the foot. I recommend it highly and plan to purchse other products just to have. The best invention ever.
I can’t say that the wrap took away the condition but it helps when it flares up.
Barbara – try massage your foot every single morning. It has helped me tremendously. The stretching of the toes back is also good. I feel your pain. After about 3 years I am much better – I also have been wearing PW Minor shoes – there are some nice styles that do not look so orthopedic.
I purchased a couple of the wraps (one for work and one for home) for recurring
fasciitis and they are the best thing I’ve found for getting rid of the pain.
I use them 3-4 times a day when the pain flares up,along with some Alleve and stretching excercises. Great product, refreezes rapidly and very durable.
Hi, Adrienne. I do the morning stretching and also massage at night, just before bed. Also, a foot doctor recommended keeping the calf muscle stretched, so after walking I find a curb or something, balance on the ball of my foot, and drop my heels as far as I can. This helps because the muscle gets tights after walking, and that can pull on the tendons. What PW Minor would you recommend? I am so sick of regular walking shoes (can’t wear “sneakery-looking” shoes at work, unfortunately), which feel so clunky in the warm weather. I also have an old injury on the top of one foot which prevents me from using any shoes (or boots for that matter) that compress that area.
Hi Barbara. PW Minor has a Casual Collection. They are all good. The
“Bella” is a dressier shoe in the line. They might still be on sale at onlineshoes.com. I bought most of mine there. The entire collection has the same sole. Go to the PW Minor website first to see which styles are in the Casual Collection – Broadway and Central Park are more styles in the same collection. I sound like an Ad for them – but they were the best for the condition. I don’t need them anymore but am afraid to wear “normal” shoes again and these are really nice. Good Luck!
The plantar fasciitis wrap is very helpful. I am always on watch for something else to control the pain. What is the Strausburg sock mentioned by Pat?
Hello Jean:
The sock serves to stretch the facia while sleeping or resting. I Googled to find it. It appears to be sort of a sock-like brace in that it has an adjustable strap attached to the toes and the ankle to pull the toes back towards the ankle.
I purchased the wrap for my plantar fascities. I try and use it twice a day, but since I still work (a nurse on my feet) I have to wait till I get home.. but, boy does it feel good. I like the way it wraps and stays secure. My only comment it the cold does not last but 15 minites and sometimes I want more. Thanks for a great product, I will continue to recommend it to my friends and clients.
Hello Bonnie K.:
All Cold One wraps are specifically designed to only stay ‘Ice Cold’ for about 15 minutes. MDs do not recommend icing for longer periods as over-icing can create additional soft tissue damage. If you leave the wrap on after it thaws, the compression will continue to reduce inflammation and be beneficial.
The wrap drives the cold so deep that users often feel they did not get a complete icing, but if you feel your foot after you take the wrap off, you will notice how cold the tissue is, not just the skin. Sometimes the wrap ices so well that the feeling of cold is replaced by inner numbness and not only numbs pain but also diminishes the feeling of cold.
As an avid tennis & basketball player for years, I have resorted to numerous inventive and some silly means to work out the soreness. Ice-wrapped towels to countless stretches on the steps leading down to the basement seemed to be the old remedies, short of spending significant $$s on professional-style wraps. With a quick review of available products on the net, I decided to take a chance on the wrap for my occasional plantar fasciitis issues. What a great product! I have adapted the wrap for both my wrist & elbows, too. It’s a very versatile wrap, while its compression & icing elements are definitely worthwhile and extremely effective. Money well-spent.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Barbara // Feb 19, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I have suffered with plantar fasciitis in both feet for more than five years. At times the pain was so excruciating that I feared I might end up in a wheelchair. The condition effectively halted my favorite activity (walking), and I went from three-mile daily walks to being barely able to make it around the block without being in tears. Such a chronic condition can take all the joy out of life. Anyone who has plantar fasciitis will understand what I’m saying. I tried all the usual modalities: orthotics (both custom and store-bought), gel cushions, cortisone shots, foot exercises, rolling a ball under my foot, icing with an ice bag, icing with a towel, even icing by rubbing an ice cube directly on my heel (very dangerous, but I was so desperate for relief that I was willing to try anything). A night brace helped with morning pain, but more often than not, I dreaded the thought of sitting down because I knew I would have to get up and the pain would instantly follow. My podiatrist recommended icing four times a day, but even with all those various methods, nothing helped much. I did an extensive online search for something — anything — that would take some of the pain away and found the Cold One concept of driving cold into the inflamed area by compression to make the most sense. I purchased a Cold One foot wrap but really didn’t have much faith that it would work – I was just desperate. However, by far, the wrap has been the most effective treatment method I have found. After twice- to three-times-a-day use for only a few days, my pain began to subside, and after a couple of weeks of regular treatment, it was gone. If I overstress my foot, of course, it returns, but a couple of sessions with my wrap have routinely taken care of the flare-ups, and even at its worst, my pain is nowhere near where it was before. I am back to walking and I use the wrap post-walk so that the pain does not get out of hand (or foot!). The intensity of the cold can take some getting used to, but patience is rewarded. It certainly helped me, and I have recommended it to others. Please, if you have plantar fasciitis pain, give this product a try. I am so glad I did.
2 Pat // Feb 20, 2009 at 1:49 am
I bough the Plantar Fascitis Wrap. It was great – I could keep it securely wrapped on my foot. The icing treatment during the day (which I could take along to work) along with the Strausburg Sock at night stretching my foot while I slept did the trick for me. The pain lessended daily unitl I could finally get out of bed and go about my day without pain.
3 Adrienne // Feb 20, 2009 at 9:29 am
I also purchased the Plantar Fasciitis Wrap. I love it. I always keep it in the freezer just in case my foot acts up. Unlike an ice pack or cubes wrapped in a towel it stays securely on the foot. I recommend it highly and plan to purchse other products just to have. The best invention ever.
I can’t say that the wrap took away the condition but it helps when it flares up.
4 Adrienne // Feb 20, 2009 at 9:31 am
Barbara – try massage your foot every single morning. It has helped me tremendously. The stretching of the toes back is also good. I feel your pain. After about 3 years I am much better – I also have been wearing PW Minor shoes – there are some nice styles that do not look so orthopedic.
5 Neil // Feb 20, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I purchased a couple of the wraps (one for work and one for home) for recurring
fasciitis and they are the best thing I’ve found for getting rid of the pain.
I use them 3-4 times a day when the pain flares up,along with some Alleve and stretching excercises. Great product, refreezes rapidly and very durable.
6 Barbara // Feb 21, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Hi, Adrienne. I do the morning stretching and also massage at night, just before bed. Also, a foot doctor recommended keeping the calf muscle stretched, so after walking I find a curb or something, balance on the ball of my foot, and drop my heels as far as I can. This helps because the muscle gets tights after walking, and that can pull on the tendons. What PW Minor would you recommend? I am so sick of regular walking shoes (can’t wear “sneakery-looking” shoes at work, unfortunately), which feel so clunky in the warm weather. I also have an old injury on the top of one foot which prevents me from using any shoes (or boots for that matter) that compress that area.
7 Adrienne // Feb 22, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Hi Barbara. PW Minor has a Casual Collection. They are all good. The
“Bella” is a dressier shoe in the line. They might still be on sale at onlineshoes.com. I bought most of mine there. The entire collection has the same sole. Go to the PW Minor website first to see which styles are in the Casual Collection – Broadway and Central Park are more styles in the same collection. I sound like an Ad for them – but they were the best for the condition. I don’t need them anymore but am afraid to wear “normal” shoes again and these are really nice. Good Luck!
8 Jean // Mar 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm
The plantar fasciitis wrap is very helpful. I am always on watch for something else to control the pain. What is the Strausburg sock mentioned by Pat?
Hello Jean:
The sock serves to stretch the facia while sleeping or resting. I Googled to find it. It appears to be sort of a sock-like brace in that it has an adjustable strap attached to the toes and the ankle to pull the toes back towards the ankle.
Rob
9 Bonnie K // Mar 22, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I purchased the wrap for my plantar fascities. I try and use it twice a day, but since I still work (a nurse on my feet) I have to wait till I get home.. but, boy does it feel good. I like the way it wraps and stays secure. My only comment it the cold does not last but 15 minites and sometimes I want more. Thanks for a great product, I will continue to recommend it to my friends and clients.
Hello Bonnie K.:
All Cold One wraps are specifically designed to only stay ‘Ice Cold’ for about 15 minutes. MDs do not recommend icing for longer periods as over-icing can create additional soft tissue damage. If you leave the wrap on after it thaws, the compression will continue to reduce inflammation and be beneficial.
The wrap drives the cold so deep that users often feel they did not get a complete icing, but if you feel your foot after you take the wrap off, you will notice how cold the tissue is, not just the skin. Sometimes the wrap ices so well that the feeling of cold is replaced by inner numbness and not only numbs pain but also diminishes the feeling of cold.
Thank you for your comments.
Rob
10 RJ // Mar 23, 2009 at 3:15 pm
As an avid tennis & basketball player for years, I have resorted to numerous inventive and some silly means to work out the soreness. Ice-wrapped towels to countless stretches on the steps leading down to the basement seemed to be the old remedies, short of spending significant $$s on professional-style wraps. With a quick review of available products on the net, I decided to take a chance on the wrap for my occasional plantar fasciitis issues. What a great product! I have adapted the wrap for both my wrist & elbows, too. It’s a very versatile wrap, while its compression & icing elements are definitely worthwhile and extremely effective. Money well-spent.
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