Life is healthy feet. Anyone who has suffered from a foot injury can attest to how quality of life is ruined by unhealthy feet. The foot is the only part of the body to regularly contact the ground. Comprised of 26 bones, 33 joints, 19 muscles, 107 ligaments, 10 tendons, the foot is arguably the most mechanically complex part of the body - so much so that Leonardo da Vinci called the foot a work of art.
Generally, the properly functioning foot needs 30° of inversion, 20° of eversion, a minimum of 36° - 40° of toe dorsiflexion, and 20° ankle dorsiflexion. Restrictions of any of these ranges of motion will prevent the foot from properly functioning. This can result in injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, calf injuries, turf toe.
The prevalence of foot injuries is alarming. Approximately 77% of Americans are reported to suffer from foot pain. Further, approximately 10% of the US population will experience plantar fasciitis at some point in their life. The U.S. alone is reported reported to have 2 million doctor visits annually for plantar fasciitis. There is an inestimable number of individuals who suffer without seeking professional care. The U.S. has approximately 2.5 million Achilles tendon ruptures annually. Many of these injuries are associated with inadeguate ranges of motion caused by tight muscles in the calf and foot. Each of these injuries have prescribed stretching and strengthening of the lower leg and foot as part of the rehabilitation. These injuries can be largely prevented by having flexibility throughout the leg and foot and by having satisfactory ankle range of motion.
The DorsiFLEX was developed in an effort to resolve a severe case of bilateral plantar fasciitis suffered by a world-class runner. Stretching of the lower leg muscles was prescribed during the rehabilitation however all conventional methods proved ineffective. Desperate for a solution, the runner noticed the connection between toe inclination and the ankle dorsiflexion. By simultaneously dorsiflexing the toes and ankle while stretching, greater tension and a more targeted stretch led to a quick improvement of the plantar fasciitis heel pain.
The DorsiFLEX is an innovative therapeutic product designed to address the lack of a quick and effective method to simultaneously stretch and strengthen the combined soft tissue in the lower leg and foot causing plantar fasciitis.
The DorsiFLEX positions the foot in the most biomechanically correct positions for performing recommended stretching and strengthening exercises.
With the DorsiFLEX , one can selectively position the foot in multiple operating planes, both vertically and laterally, by extending the toes upward at varying angles while simultaneously dorsiflexing the ankle. The result is a targeted, amplified stretch of the gastroc-soleus complex, the intrinsic muscles of the lower leg, the Achilles tendon, the plantar fascia and the major and minor muscles in the bottom of the foot causing the injury.
The U.S. patented product delivers a number of innovative features:
Treating the foot as a multi-lever mechanism whereby stretching each lever impacts the entire foot and lower leg
Simultaneous stretching the arch of the foot and muscles of the lower leg with the foot positioned in multiple planes
Adjusting the toe extension in the sagittal plane at 20°, 30°, 40°, 45°, and 50° by employing the Windlass Mechanism
Two-dimensional positioning of the toes, both vertically and laterally, while stretching
The innovative design of the device delivers an isolated stretch of the inside longitudinal portion of the arch leading from the calcaneus to the big toe. This stretch, referred to as “the big toe stretch”, targets the Flexor Hallucis Longus (FHL). Similarly, the Flexor Digitorium Longus (FDL) can also be isloated and stretched with the patented product. The DorsiFLEX is the only product in the world that can isolate this portion of the arch and those specific muscles
The system is an indexed, variable, measurable, repeatable, controlled, weight-bearing stretching therapeutic device delivering the most personalized stretch available on the market place today
the recommended protocol leading to very high compliance
Our early results have shown fast and effective improvement for sufferers of plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and chronic calf injuries. These injuries are typically due to muscle weakness or lost range of motion resulting from tight muscles and general inflexibility throughout the kinetic chain in the lower leg and foot. Our recommendation is to keep the DorsiFLEX at your bathroom sink to use the product to stretch every morning and every night while brushing your teeth. Following this regimen, we received many reports of noticeable improvements following the recommended DorsiFLEX regimen in as little as 2 weeks. Most report the noticeable improvement in as few as four weeks and report significant improvement in eight weeks or less.
If you want to learn more about the device you can find more info on www.thedorsiflex.com.
Jim Cooper is a mechanical engineer and former world-class runner. Throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s, he competed in 3 U.S. Olympic Trials, was an alternate for the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the 3000 meter steeplechase, was ranked in the top-25 in the world in the 3000 meter steeplechase, and was a top-10 ranked road racer in the US. A former triathlete and avid CrossFit athlete, he is also a former plantar fasciitis sufferer.