Abstract: An orthopedic splint for the treatment of plantar fasciitis and similar disorders has a rigid brace adapted to be worn on the front of the lower leg while leaving the rear of the leg, ankle and heel uncovered. This configuration makes the invention splint comfortable when the patient is laying on his/her back or side, because there is no rigid structure to come between the patient's leg or foot and a mattress or other surface on which the leg may be resting. Alternative embodiments of the invention splint contact either the top or the bottom (dorsal or plantar surfaces) of the foot.

Abstract: A shoe sole having upper and lower layers movable relative to one another in a manner which promotes physiologically desirable movements of the subtalar joint of a shoe wearer's foot and thereby aids in the absorption of shock forces occurring when the shoe strikes the ground during a walking or running stride. The lower layer has an upper surface inclined downward and toward the lateral side of the sole, and a resilient intermediate layer separates the upper and lower layers. Application of weight to the hindfoot section of the upper layer at heel strike forces that section downward and laterally relative to the lower layer, placing the lateral edge of the upper layer in close proximity with a vertically oriented fulcrum formed in an upturned lip on the lateral side of the lower layer.