Improvements in the design of viscoelastic heel orthoses. A clinical study

A heel orthosis combining the principles of weight redistribution and shock attenuation was dispensed to 30 subjects with heel pain. Relief or cessation of pain occurred in 73% of the cases. The factor most clearly and significantly associated with the effectiveness of the orthosis was a lesser degree of overweight. Within this prescriptive guideline, such a device has the potential of becoming a cost-effective and time-efficient way of treating heel pain of mechanical origin.