PRP Injections for Plantar Fasciitis

PRP Injections for Plantar Fasciitis in San Antonio, TX

PRP Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis San Antonio TX

Living an active life requires being on your feet. But if you suffer from plantar fasciitis, time on your feet only brings you pain.

What if you didn't have to put a limit on yourself? PRP Clinic at The Golab Center for Back & Joint Relief offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, a quickly emerging regenerative therapy that provides long-lasting relief for patients with plantar fasciitis.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

For many medical conditions, the suffix “-itis” implies inflammation. So, the term “plantar fasciitis” would suggest inflammation of the plantar fascia — the tissue that connects the inside of your heel bone to the base of your toes.

But the “-itis” in plantar fasciitis is a misnomer. Plantar fasciitis actually refers to the degeneration of the plantar fascia, not inflammation.¹

Because your plantar fascia absorbs shock when you walk or run, its degeneration leads to pain in your heels or along the arches of your feet. You may find that your pain is worse in the morning and after walking or running for long distances.

Treatment for plantar fasciitis varies depending on the severity of your symptoms and can include:²

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Corticosteroid injections
Ice packs
Shoe inserts
Stretching exercises
Massage
Surgery

The use of corticosteroids, while common, is particularly troubling because they only seem to have small, short-term effects.³ Repeated corticosteroid injections also have the potential to induce plantar fascia rupture.^{1, 4, 5} Therefore, some experts have suggested re-evaluating the use of corticosteroid injections for patients with plantar fasciitis.¹

When conservative treatments don't result in a satisfactory outcome, consider platelet-rich plasma injections to treat your plantar fasciitis.

What is PRP Therapy?

The treatment for your plantar fasciitis may already be in your blood.

When you're injured, your platelets help your blood clot by releasing growth factors, proteins, and other anti-inflammatory chemicals.⁶ In animal studies, growth factors were shown to increase the healing of ruptured tendons.⁷ Platelets can also attract your body's stem cells to the injury site, where they can form healthy tissue.⁸

While these healing mechanisms exist naturally in your body, your body may not always produce platelets at the intensity you need them.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy delivers a high concentration of platelets (at least 2 times that of whole blood) to your plantar fascia. This allows your body to recognize your plantar fascia as a priority for healing.

In other words, PRP therapy allows you to treat your plantar fasciitis using your body's own natural healing factors.

Do PRP Injections Help Patients with Plantar Fasciitis?

PRP therapy has emerged as a potential treatment for many medical conditions in recent years, and plantar fasciitis is no exception.

In fact, PRP may work better than corticosteroid injections. In a study published in 2019, investigators compared the effectiveness of PRP injections to corticosteroid injections for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. They found that the patients in the PRP group had significantly lower pain and higher function than those in the corticosteroid group. More remarkably, these results were seen 1 year after treatment, demonstrating PRP's long-term safety and effectiveness.⁹

While PRP injections may not show significant immediate or short-term advantages over corticosteroids, its strengths lie in its long-term effects. A 6-week study comparing PRP to corticosteroid injection found that PRP provided better results after 6 months.¹⁰ A meta-analysis of 9 clinical trials arrived at a similar conclusion.²

Other benefits of PRP injections include:

No risk of adverse reaction or disease transmission
No anesthesia
Shorter recovery time compared to surgery
Reduced inflammation²

How the PRP Process Works

Your provider will provide instructions on how to prepare for your appointment. Some medications like anticoagulants or NSAIDs may need to be stopped.

The entire PRP process, which includes preparation and injection, takes approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours. At PRP Clinic at The Golab Center for Back & Joint Relief, you can expect the following steps:

Step One	Step Two	Step Three	Step Four
A technician will draw a small sample of blood from you, which will be placed in a tube.	The vial is placed in a centrifuge, which spins the blood at high speeds. This separates the platelets from the other blood components.	We remove the tube from the centrifuge and separate the plasma layer from the other layers which are then discarded.	Once the PRP solution is prepared, your provider will inject it into the affected area where the healing process begins.

Step One

A technician will draw a small sample of blood from you, which will be placed in a tube.

Step Two

The vial is placed in a centrifuge, which spins the blood at high speeds. This separates the platelets from the other blood components.

Step Three

We remove the tube from the centrifuge and separate the plasma layer from the other layers which are then discarded.

Step Four

Once the PRP solution is prepared, your provider will inject it into the affected area where the healing process begins.

Because PRP triggers a cascade of biological responses, you may experience some soreness or swelling in the injection area for a few days. We recommend taking it easy for a few days after your treatment.

Are PRP Injections Safe?

Because PRP is an autologous therapy (derived from your own blood), it has an outstanding safety profile. There is no risk of an adverse reaction or disease transmission. Talk to your provider if you're taking any medications or if you experience any severe discomfort after your injection.