Comparison of Plantar Fasciitis Injected With Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Corticosteroids

Abstract

Background: Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. This prospective study compared the efficacy of local injection of corticosteroids vs platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of plantar fasciitis.

Methods: Patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups of 40 each (group A and group B). Patients were treated with local corticosteroid injection in group A and autologous PRP injection in group B. Clinical assessment was done prior to the injection and at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months following the injection, which included visual analog pain scale, subjective rating using the modified Roles and Maudsley score, functional outcome score by the Foot and Ankle Outcome Instrument (FAI) core scale, and the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scale. Radiological assessment was done by measuring the thickness of the plantar fascia using ultrasonography. The mean age, sex, and body mass index of both groups were comparable.

Results: Postinjection, there was significant improvement of visual analog score, modified Roles and Maudsley score, FAI core scale, AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score, and plantar fascia thickness in both the groups. However, with the numbers available, no significant difference in improvement could be detected between the above-mentioned variables in the 2 groups.

Conclusion: We found that the treatment of plantar fasciitis with steroid or PRP injection was equally effective.

Level of evidence: Level II, prospective randomized comparative series.

Keywords: heel; pain; platelet-rich plasma; steroid injection.