Randomised Control Study to Assess the Efficacy of Platelet Rich Plasma and Local Corticosteroids Injection in Treatment of Chronic Plantar Fasciitis

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain and can prove difficult to treat in its most chronic and severe forms. It is more of a degenerative pathology rather than inflammatory process. Traditionally if all conservative methods fail, corticosteroid injections are used but seem useful in the short term and only to a small degree. However, such injections have been associated with serious side effects which include ruptures in the plantar fascia and sudden tearing episodes Platelet - rich plasma (PRP) is a bioactive component of whole blood with platelet concentrations elevated above baseline and containing high levels of various growth factors. Materials and method: In the period from June 2022 to May 2023, 50 adults who were admitted to the Department of Orthopaedics at Al - Ameen Medical College and Hospital Vijayapura, with plantar fasciitis. The patients underwent clinical and radiological evaluations. An average of 6 months was spent following up with every patient. Observation: 50 patients included in the present study were divided into two groups. Group A corticosteroids and group B PRP. Both groups had 25 patients. With corticosteroids immediate pain relief was achieved whereas 8 patients developed recurrence of pain. With PRP initial 7 days pain and swelling was there later pain was reduced whereas 2 patients presented with recurrence of pain. Conclusion: In this study we concluded that both PRP and Corticosteroids both provides symptomatic relief in the treatment of plantar fasciitis proved to be a safe and effective modality in the treatment of this condition with a better functional outcome at the end of the follow up when compared to the patients who had received corticosteroids.