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.
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