I was attracted to the Thermoskin product because it looked more comfortable than rigid splints for night wear, and because Thermoskin advertised that it could be worn while sitting during the day. The product indeed has a clever-seeming design, and it is well manufactured.

But ultimately, this product seems to me to be too floppy and unstable to consistently stretch out the area of the foot that FEELS to me like it needs to be stretched. (I.e., the area along the sole of my foot that I can feel stretching out in the mornings when, before getting out of bed and while sitting up in it, I press my toes hard against a looped cord or towel; that stretch significantly diminishes my pain upon standing up out of bed.) The velcro fastenings are indeed secure, but the product's sock-like sleeve and ankle cuff move around some even when the straps are cinched down as tight as they'll go; as a result, what feels like an appropriate stretch typically disappears in about five or ten minutes of normal movement and friction in bed while lying down. Worse, the angle created by pulling the strap up through the buckle in front of the lower leg just doesn't create the proper stretch; instead it just makes my toes feel crampy.

I'm going to try a rigid split, which may be less comfortable. But I believe that I need to be strapped into something that consistently maintains a proper angle, which the Thermoskin product doesn't. And I'd rather incur some discomfort, if it will actually help me get well, than continue to use this not too uncomfortable (but ineffective) product from Thermoskin.

Perhaps others have had or will have better results with it than I have had; and I have no medical training nor deep insight into the anatomy or physiology beyond what I've read on the internet, so consider this to be very much a layman's review. I've been suffering from plantar faciitis now for about four to five months with little improvement, and I can't compare this product to others that I hope might be more effective.

But I was very disappointed in this product, and regret having spent the money for it. 2 stars

My feet had been hurting so badly that I was limping every morning from plantar fasciitis when I finally gave these a try. After experimenting with different positions of the straps, I came to the conclusion that the directions were, astonishingly, correct. A light tug from the toe strap is sufficient to stretch the plantar throughout the night. If fitted correctly, you won't feel a dramatic stretch on your arches, but after several hours, hopefully overnight if you can tolerate it, your plantar will have sufficient relief to heal. I found that about one month of nightly wear has given me about a year of pain relief. The pain is returning and I'm beginning to wear these again; hopefully this year's results will be similar. 5 stars

I have been suffering from severe plantar fasciitis for about 7 months. I purchased the Thermoskin Plantar FXT because it looks more comfortable to wear than the bulky, full-immobilization braces. Within 3 days, I could tell a very distinct (and welcome) difference first thing in the morning. The gentle lifting of the toes seems to be all that is necessary to keep the tendon stretched. After about 3 weeks of solid use, my foot feels maybe 50% better. I am still having issues if I irritate the tendon by standing, walking, or running too much. But the fact that the first steps in the morning are relatively pain free makes me feel like I am on the road to recovery.

Pros:

The brace is lightweight, washable, and portable. I have taken it on trips with me, and it fits in a suitcase just fine. It appears to be making a huge difference in my recovery.

Cons:

The brace has a "no-slip" rubber sole, which is to keep you from slipping when you're walking on a smooth surface. However, the brace is mostly meant to be worn when you're sleeping, and the rubber creates friction against the bed sheets as well, making it difficult to move your feet around in bed. As a number of reviews have mentioned, your foot gets quite warm, which results in sweat. I find that having my toes bunched together when they're sweaty to be quite uncomfortable. So I sometimes sleep with that foot outside of the covers to keep from overheating.

Conclusion:

The FXT is the only brace I have tried, so I don't have anything to compare it to. But the bottom line is that it seems to be making a significant difference in how bad my plantar fasciitis is. According to my doctor, the pain in the morning is due to the shortening of the tendon overnight, and the pain of those first few steps is from tearing of the tendon. So elimination of the morning pain is an important step toward recovery! For that reason, I give it 4 stars. It is working, and the somewhat annoying drawbacks are a small price to pay for having the foot problems go away. 4 stars

The product works very to stretch the tendon. The only problem is that it creates so much heat to your foot, and I think not in the correct place. If you don't mind heat all night, it is great.
3 stars

I tried this product to help with plantar fasciitis, but it does not seem to work that well. I had to take it off in the middle of the night because I woke up with squished toes. It seems to be too weak to stretch the tendon well enough. A visit to the podiatrist and got some Spenco orthotics for shoes, that seems to help much more. 2 stars