A check-up is recommended. Joint degeneration is insidious and gradual; besides the knees, the cervical and lumbar spine often experience wear and tear without anyone noticing. An early full-body check-up can detect abnormalities in the early stages of cartilage wear, significantly reducing the risk of future joint replacement surgery.
Surgery is only considered for a very small number of patients who do not respond to long-term conservative treatment and experience severe pain. Currently, minimally invasive or endoscopic methods are mostly used. Most patients can improve through integrated treatment and do not need to undergo surgery.
PRP/PRF is derived from the patient’s own blood, concentrated to a high concentration of growth factors, and then precisely injected into the damaged fascia. The aim is to promote tissue repair and regeneration, reduce chronic inflammation, and it is a non-surgical regenerative medicine treatment.
Not necessarily. Most patients improve with conservative treatment (stretching, insoles, physical therapy). If recurrence persists for more than 3 months, extracorporeal shock wave therapy or proliferative therapy (PRP/PRF) may be considered, with suitability assessed by a physician.
During acute inflammation, it is recommended to reduce or stop high-impact exercises (running, jumping). Switch to low-impact exercises such as swimming or cycling. At the same time, be sure to strengthen the stretching of the plantar muscles and calf muscles.
Those who stand for long periods (teachers, healthcare workers, service industry workers) Long-distance runners or jumpers People with flat feet or high arches Overweight individuals Middle-aged people and pregnant women
Not entirely the same. Bone spurs are bone growths, while plantar fasciitis is inflammation or degeneration of the plantar fascia. Both can coexist, but the primary cause of pain usually comes from the fascia itself, not the bone spurs.
Mild or early symptoms can improve with rest, stretching, and insole adjustments, typically within weeks to months. However, if the pain persists for more than 3 months, it may indicate a chronic degenerative stage, and professional evaluation is recommended to prevent it from developing into intractable heel pain.
This is one of the typical symptoms. If you experience “severe pain on the first step in the morning, which is slightly relieved after activity, but the pain returns after walking for a while,” plantar fasciitis is highly suspected. The pain is mostly concentrated on the inside of the heel or in the arch of the foot.
