New treatment for plantar fasciitis: Dry needling combined with a cortisone injection, guided ultrasound imaging-the alternative to plantar fasciitis surgery. Researchers state that this approach has a 95% success rate. They also state that the ultrasound guidance makes the procedure very safe. They recommend the procedure combined with orthotic treatment and advised that 42/44 of their study patients were cured of their symptoms within 2-3 weeks of treatment. The dry needling technique allows for increased blood flow to the symptomatic plantar fascia region. This helps it heal faster. Traditionally structures like the plantar fascia, tendons and ligaments do not have a lot of blood flow, so they tend to heal slowly. The premise behind this is quite similar to the APC percutaneous growth factor procedure that we also utilize. One difference is that this new procedure is much less costly and can be done right in our exam rooms with local anesthetic.

Our doctors have been safely performing ultrasound-guided cortisone injections for plantar fasciitis for several years. This approach has been successful when combined with other types of treatment such as prescription orthotics. We now offer this new technique at our clinic with the dry needling technique combined with a cortisone injection and we further recommend that the foot be in a protective medical boot for 3 weeks following the procedure.