Open Surgical Implantation of a Viable Intact Cryopreserved Human Placental Membrane for the Treatment of Recalcitrant Plantar Fasciitis: Case Report With Greater than 2-Year Follow-Up Duration

Abstract

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common conditions encountered by a podiatric physician. Although most individuals respond well to traditional conservative and surgical remedies, a portion of patients will exhaust all available treatment options and will experience ongoing pain that can ultimately affect their quality of life. There has been an increase in scientific and clinical research surrounding the medical use of human placental membranes (HPMs) and many of these point-of-care allografts are now commercially available. We present the case of a 53-year-old female with chronic plantar fasciitis for whom both conservative therapies and surgical treatments of 1 year's duration had previously failed. After open revision with implantation of viable intact cryopreserved human placental membrane (vCPM; Grafix®, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., Columbia, MD), the patient was able to resume her full-work duty with minimal symptoms at the 12- and 24-month follow-up examinations. This case report highlights the use of HPMs as an adjunct approach in the treatment of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis and the need for continued research.