Effectiveness of dextrose prolotherapy in addition to plantar fascia stretches to plantar fascia stretches alone in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis: A randomized controlled trial

Objectives: The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of prolotherapy injections in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis. Materials and Methods: Over 18 months, 60 symptomatic chronic plantar fasciitis patients were enrolled in our study and randomized into two groups. Group A ( n = 30) received tissue-specific plantar fascia stretches. Group B ( n = 30) received prolotherapy injections (15% dextrose solution) twice at an interval of 3 weeks, in addition to tissue-specific plantar fascia stretches. They were followed up at 6, 12, and 16 weeks using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), foot function index (FFI), and foot and ankle outcome score (FAOS). Results: Sixty patients completed follow-up. The VAS score improved in both groups; however, the prolotherapy group showed significantly better outcomes than the control group at 16 weeks. Similarly, the FFI and FAOS scores showed improvement in both groups; however, the prolotherapy group showed significantly better outcomes than the control group at 12 and 16 weeks. Conclusion: Dextrose prolotherapy with plantar fascia-specific exercises resulted in better clinical outcomes than exercise alone in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.