Farooq Azam Khan.
Platelet-rich Plasma in the Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis versus Corticosteroids.
J Sharif Med Dent Coll Jan ;7(01):4-10.

Objective: To determine the effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections versus corticosteroid injections in plantar fasciitis. Methodology: It was a non-randomized controlled trial done in the Orthopaedic Department of the Sharif Medical City Hospital, Lahore after approval by the institutional ethical committee from February to April 2021. Seventy patients of plantar fasciitis for greater than 6 months who failed to respond to the conservative treatment were included in the study by non-probability convenient sampling technique. The patients were divided into two groups: 35 patients in the standard (Corticosteroid) treatment group and 35 patients in the intervention (Platelet-rich plasma) group. After taking informed written consent, the standard treatment group received the intra-articular corticosteroid injection whereas the intervention group received the intra-articular PRP injection. The patients were assessed for plantar fascia thickness, visual analog scale (VAS), and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score before treatment, and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment. Results: The plantar fascia thickness decreased from 4.77 to 3.68 mm in the PRP group and from 4.66 to 3.96 mm in the corticosteroid group. The pre-treatment VAS score improved from 8.02+/-0.857 to 1.37+/-0.49 at 6 months in the PRP group and from 7.8+/-0.719 to 2.8+/-0.759 at 6 months in the corticosteroid group. The pre-treatment AOFAS score was 57.45+/-4.972 in the PRP group and it increased to 89.82+/-4.01 at 6 months. In the corticosteroid group, the AOFAS score improved from 57.85+/-6.329 at baseline to 77.02+/-4.307 at 6 months. When the pretreatment VAS score, AOFAS score & plantar fascia thickness were compared with the scores at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months in each group, there was a significant difference in the score and thickness (p-value=0.001). Conclusion: Both the corticosteroid and PRP treatment modalities lead to improved VAS score, AOFAS score, and plantar fascia thickness but the improvement was statistically significant in the PRP group as compared to the corticosteroid group. Keywords: Plantar fasciitis. Platelet-rich plasma. Corticosteroid.

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