A New Minimally Invasive Procedure for Treating Plantar Heel Pain
Bihua Wu, Shune Xiao, Sanhong Yang, Zairong Wei, Chengliang Deng- Surgery
Atrophy of the fat pad is considered to be one of the main causes of plantar heel pain. Recent studies showed fat grafting increased fat pad volume and was beneficial for treating pedal fat pad atrophy. However, traditional fat grafting has a high absorption rate because of lower concentration of adipose-derived stem cells. Stromal vascular fraction gel (SVF-gel), as a novel fat grafting and rich in adipose-derived stem cells, is prepared by a simple mechanical process. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of SVF-gel in the treatment of plantar heel pain.
Methods
Fourteen patients who experienced plantar heel pain and underwent plantar heel SVF-gel grafting between January 2019 and June 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Foot pain and disability were measured at the screening visit and at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up visits. The volume of the heel fat pad was measured by magnetic resonance imaging.
Results
Four of the patients had bilateral plantar heel pain, and 10 patients had unilateral plantar heel pain. All patients showed significant improvements in pain and foot function at 3 months after SVF-gel grafting compared with the baseline, with the greatest improvement at 6 months and the effect lasting 1 year or more. In addition, the thickness of the heel fat pad was significantly greater than at baseline at 3 months, and the effect lasted for 1 year or more.
Conclusion
Stromal vascular fraction gel grafting is a safe, minimally invasive, and effective approach to treat plantar heel pain.