How do you decide which heel relief device to use for your patients? What are the different options available?
Answer
A lot of times it comes down to what your facility already has. All of the options are good - even a pillow is good when used appropriately. We have the Prevalon™ system. We like it because the outside is a parachute-like material, so there is very little friction and shear. If the patient is moving their heel up and down in bed, it helps glide the heel along the sheet surface. In my previous facility, I had the Heelift® Boot which is more of that egg crate material. That worked fine. Then the Medline pillow works well, too, but I think that it is more expensive. If your facility refuses to have any of these devices, then just make sure that there are enough pillows out there in your facility that adequate pressure relief can be supplied with a pillow. A pillow positioned appropriately takes off just as much pressure as one of those heel relief devices. I will say that those heel bow pads , they are like heel protectors that you might in nursing homes, are not as good because they do not actually relieve the pressure. They give a little more cushioning than the bed would, but they do not actually take pressure away. The devices that I listed above actually completely suspend the heel whereas the heel bows do not.
Jennifer Gardner-Harbison, PT, DPT, MHA, CWS
Dr. Gardner-Harbison has been a physical therapist since 1997, with the last 20+ years concentrated solely on wound care. She has been a Certified Wound Specialist since 2001. Prior to entering the industry, she served as the Manager of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen at Inspira Medical Center Woodbury for 10 years. In 2017, she moved to the industry side of wound care. In 2026, she returned to her PT roots and joined Fox Rehab. Dr. Gardner also sat on the APTA Integumentary Specialty Council for 3 years, during which the first certification exam for Wound Management Clinical Specialist was administered. After her term on the Council, she also served as a subject matter expert for the Wound Management Certification exam.
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