Vetrivel Chezian Sengodan1, Nandakumar Thiagarajan2, Iniya Prasanna Raajendiren1
1Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, CMCH, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
DOI: 10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_199_19
ABSTRACT
Background: Plantar fasciitis is a common and recurring cause of heel pain in adults. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from autologous blood contains a high concentration of growth factors necessary for tissue healing and offer potential treatment for plantar fasciitis. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Coimbatore medical college hospital as a day care procedure. Between May and September 2017, 100 patients with chronic plantar fasciitis with a mean age of 40 years were included in this prospective study and were treated with single autologous PRP injection. All patients were assessed for the pain on the visual analog scale (VAS) and the American orthopedic foot and ankle score (AOFAS) both preinjection and postsingle injection of PRP. Results: The average pain perception before injection as assessed using VAS was observed to be 9.1. Before PRP injection, 72% of patients had severe limitation of activities and 28% of patients had moderate limitation of activities. Following the administration of PRP, VAS decreased to 1.6. Eighty-eight patients were completely satisfied; eight patients were satisfied with reservation, whereas four patients were unsatisfied with the treatment outcome. AOFAS improved from 52 to 90, thus establishing its therapeutic efficacy both at 8 weeks and 3 months posttreatment. Conclusion: The results of this study support that injection of autologous PRP is safe, does not affect the biomechanical function of the foot and is efficacious in improving plantar fasciitis.
Keywords: American orthopedic foot and ankle score, plantar fasciitis, platelet-rich plasma, visual analogs scale.
