Casey Hofhenke

The Rise of Technical Fabrics for Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis and Other Applications First step pain…. the worst part of a Plantar Fasciitis sufferers day. Plantar fasciitis is characterized by pain and inflammation secondary to strain on the intrinsic musculature and plantar fascia at their origin from the calcaneal tubercles. This usually coincides with a history of pain on rising in the morning, which subsides during the day but returns after periods of nonweight-bearing.3 Physicians often turn to night splints for patients after NSAIDS and stretching have failed to curb the symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis, and patients are desperate for a relief for the dreaded first steps in the morning. According to a study published in Acta Orthop, night splints are indeed effective, finding “patients without previous treatments for plantar fasciitis obtain significant relief of heel pain in the short term with the use of a night splint incorporated into conservative methods.” They also found, however, that “this application does not have a significant effect on prevention of recurrences after a two-year follow-up.”1 Perhaps this can be attributed to findings published in Biomechanics, which state “However, compliance with these splints can be a challenge. Most patients will tolerate them for about two weeks, at which point some patients get uncomfortable and may start removing them at night. Wearing night splints may adversely affect patients' sleeping habits and consequently their lives and work productivity. In these cases, patients often prefer to abandon the splints.”3 Enter technical fabrics. Medical textiles provide the wearer increased functionality with the help of inserted digital components and gadgets. The bulk of the focus on technical or “smart” fabrics has been sensor based so far, with patients needing to have wearable sensors while still increasing flexibility.2 There are, however, technical fabrics focused treating medical conditions as well. They may look like an ordinary compression sleeve, however they are vastly different. Featuring a mix of elemental semi-conductors woven into a fabric specifically designed for comfort, durability, and functionality; this new technology may have the ability to change they way we resolve inflammation and swelling. Able to absorb the body’s natural thermal energy to conduct photonic energy back into the body, the fabric stimulates blood flow to the applied area. For plantar fasciitis patients, this increase in blood flow to the naturally ischemic foot allows the plantar fascia to act as if still being active. By not allowing it to relax and shorten overnight, first step pain is drastically reduced. The sleeves are also non-compressive and breathable. This increases the comfort exponentially, which in turn increases compliance, perhaps leading to long term healing and prevention of reoccurrence. The rise of these technical fabrics is producing new methods of treatment for both chronic and acute inflammation . Being able to provide patients a faster healing process, greater comfort, and less reliance on NSAIDS mean these methods are worth our consideration. Works Cited 1. Beyzadeoglu, T. &. (2007). The effectiveness of dorsiflexion night splint added to conservative treatment for plantar fasciitis. Acta orthop. 2. Draper, S. (2018, July 3). www.wearable-technologies.com. Retrieved from Wearble Technologies: https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2018/07/medical-smart-fabric-market-shows-noteworthy-growth-by-strong-cagr-up-to-2027/ 3. Jimenez A, G. R. (1997). Jimenez A, Goecker R. Night splints: conservative management of plantar fasciitis. Biomechanics , 4(9):29-33.