German study shows day/night hinged splint offers effective treatment and pain relief for mild to moderate Hallux valgus.
San Francisco, CA – December 8, 2008 – Over
60 million American women and 15 million men suffer from the painful
dysfunction of the foot Hallux valgus, also called “bunions”. Up to now,
conservative treatment without surgery of this mal-positioning of the
big toe by has been limited to inflexible night and daytime splints.
Bunion Aid, a dynamic, flexible, day or night-time hinged splint
launched into the United States from Germany in October 2008, offers
effective treatment and pain relief for millions who suffer from this
foot dysfunction and may help avoid or postpone or the need for
surgery. A recent comparative study measured the reduction of bunions
through the use of a rigid night-split, versus Bunion Aid. Results show
that mild to moderate mal-positioning can be corrected to normal values
with the use of Bunion Aid.
Alpha Orthotics Corporation
(www.alphaorthotics.com) announced today the results of a comparative
radiological study designed to measure the reduction of toe
mal-positioning conducted in Germany in Spring 2008. The radiological
study, performed by Dr. Klaus A. Milachowski, Assistant Professor,
Ludwig-Maximilian University, in Munich Germany, compared the use of a
rigid Hallux valgus night-split and Bunion Aid. The results of the study
show that mild to moderate mal- positioning of the big toe can be
corrected to normal values with the use of Bunion Aid.
Bunion Aid is
a combination of a medical-grade plastic splint and Velcro® fastening
metatarsal and toe straps. The plastic portion of the splint is hinged
and fastened along the inside border of the foot with a toe and
metatarsal strap. The straps and the splint provide three-point
correction of the bunion deformity though out the gait cycle. The
metatarsal arch is optimally stabilized, the bunion relieved, the
mal-positioning of the toe corrected and the foot brought back and held
in its natural position.
Study Methodology and Results
The
study examined 20 cases of light to moderate Hallux valgus and compared
the effectiveness of a traditional night-splint and the Bunion Aid
flexible hinged splint. The subjects wore both the night splint and the
Bunion Aid splint and mal-positioning of the big toe was measured. The
post-test examinations showed Hallux valgus could be corrected to normal
values using the Bunion Aid splint. The starting Hallux valgus angle
was an average 28.8º. The night splint reduced the angle to an average
18.4°. Bunion Aid reduced the angle to 11.6º.
The study also showed a
correction of the inter-metatarsal angle in the case of splayfoot.
Used as a metatarsal bandage, Bunion Aid reduced the inter-metatarsal
angle a statistically significant amount from an average 16° down to
10.2°. The night splint corrected the inter-metatarsal angle to an
average 13°.
“The German radiological studies prove that it is
actually possible to correct the Hallux valgus angle to normal values
using the Bunion Aid splint”, said Alice Flaherty, Clinical Director of
Alpha Orthotics Corporation ” The splint can be used as a conservative
pain reduction treatment option that may help avoid or postpone the need
for invasive surgery.”
The Bunion Aid splint is available online
through the Alpha Orthotics website (www.alphaorthotics.com) and
through select retailers and podiatrists nationwide at a suggested
retail price of $59.95. The results of the study cited in this press
release are available upon request.
About Hallux Valgus or “Bunions”
Hallux
valgus forces the big toe outward, which causes the metatarsal bone and
the metatarsal capitulum to protrude. Initially a cosmetic problem, in
due time serious pain can develop. Inflammation and swelling of the
ball, incorrect loading and initial jointattrition (arthrosis) can lead
to strong and persistent pain. The reasons for the development of
Hallux valgus are an inherited predisposition, a tendency towards weak
supporting and connective tissue or muscular imbalance. Mal-positioning
is aggravated by too tight, too pointed and too small shoes. Hallux
valgus patients traditionally have been treated with surgery or rigid
night splints. Bunion-Aid is an alternative for people with mild to
moderate bunions and can help with post-surgery treatment.
About Alpha Orthotics Corporation USA
Alpha
Orthotics Corporation (http://www.alphaorthotics.com) is a wholly owned
subsidiary of German Hallufix Corporation. Alpha Orthotics
Corporation markets and sells patented, German-engineered non-invasive
orthopedic products directly to consumers and to the medical community.
