Platelet rich plasma for plantar fasciitis: Is it a hype???

Abstract

Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has recently been demonstrated to be helpful in managing plantar fasciitis. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety & efficacy of PRP in the chronic plantar fasciitis. Materials & Methods: In this study, we included 60 patients with PF of which 30 were given local PRP & other 30 were given steroid and regular follow up was done. Pain intensity and functional outcomes were measured using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Ankle-Hind foot Scale (AHFS), Roles-Maudsley Subjective Pain Scale (RMSPS). Patients with PF who had undergone at least 4 weeks of conservative treatment were included whereas patients with history of previous surgery for Plantar Fasciitis, Infection, tumours of lower extremity, Haemorrhagic disorders, on anticoagulant therapy, Pregnancy and Uncontrolled Diabetes were excluded. Results: Both groups were similar in terms of age, gender, side and baseline VAS & AHFS scores. In both the groups, mean VAS scores and the mean AHFS scores improved significantly at the end of one year over the baseline values. Similarly, in both the groups, functional status improved significantly over a period of one year with 73% patients in the steroid group and 97% in the PRP group achieving excellent functional status. The PRP group had significantly higher mean VAS, AHFS and RMSPS scores at 1 year follow-up than the steroid group. (p