Fat grafting for chronic heel pain following surgery for adult flatfoot deformity: Pilot study

Introduction Autologous fat grafting is now a highly popular technique in plastic and reconstructive surgery, with broad applicability for various surgical procedures. Fat grafting can impart contours and augmentation, nourish tissue, modulate scar tissue, and produce regeneration at the recipient site. In this pilot study, the authors suggest that fat grafting may be useful therapeutic adjunct for cases of chronic heel pain following surgery for adult flatfoot deformity. Materials and methods Eight patients with chronic heel pain following surgery for adult flatfoot deformity underwent autologous subcutaneous heel fat grafting and recorded their levels of pain relief for 6 months postoperatively. Results The authors recorded a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between pain scale values recorded before (t0) and six months postoperatively (t6). From t0 to t6, mean pain scale values changed from 8.125 to 2.413. Conclusions Volumetric enhancement of the subcutaneous heel fat pad significantly ameliorated weight-bearing pain in these patients.