Syam Sunder B 1 , Praveen Sivakumar K 2 , Mani Kumar C. J 3
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain for which professional care is sought. Initially thought of as an inflammatory process, plantar fasciitis is a disorder of degenerative changes in the fascia and maybe more accurately termed plantar fasciosis. Traditional therapeutic efforts have been directed at decreasing the presumed inflammation. These treatments include icing, Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), rest and activity modification, corticosteroids, botulinum toxin type A, splinting, shoe modifications and orthosis. Other treatment techniques have been directed at resolving the degeneration caused by the disease process. In general, these techniques are designed to create an acute inflammatory reaction with the goal of restarting the healing process. These techniques include autologous blood injection, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection, nitroglycerin patches, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) and surgical procedures. Recently, research has focused on regenerative therapies with high expectations of success. The use of autologous growth factors is thought to heal through collagen regeneration and the stimulation of a well-ordered angiogenesis. These growth factors are administered in the form of autologous whole blood or Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). Platelets can be isolated using simple cell-separating systems. The degranulation of the alpha granules in the platelets releases many different growth factors that play a role in tissue regeneration processes. Platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-P, vascular-derived endothelial growth factor, epithelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor and insulin-like growth factor are examples of such growth factors. Injections with autologous growth factors are becoming common in clinical practice. The present study was an attempt to compare the efficacy of autologous blood injection in plantar fasciitis by comparing it with the local corticosteroid injection
