PRP sounds like the premium option next to a steroid shot. Readers around Mount Prospect asking which is better deserve an answer tied to a published trial, with its limits spelled out.
Short answer: one trial favors PRP for chronic plantar fasciitis
A randomized controlled trial on NIH PMC, Comparison of Platelet-Rich Plasma and Corticosteroid Injections for Chronic Plantar Fasciitis, set the two injections against each other. Its authors judged PRP made from the patient's own blood "superior to corticosteroid injections in terms of long-term pain alleviation and functional improvement for patients suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis."
What that conclusion covers
It covers long-term pain and function in chronic plantar fasciitis. It does not describe heel pain from other causes, and one trial is one trial. "Better" here means better on those two measures in that group of patients.
Where to read more
The AAFP article on diagnostic and therapeutic injection of the ankle and foot covers injections more broadly. Steroid injections are also studied for other foot problems, such as Morton's neuroma and foot and ankle osteoarthritis.
What to ask next
- Is my heel pain chronic plantar fasciitis, or something else?
- Which outcome matters most to me, quick relief or long-term pain and function?
- What do you expect each type of injection to do in my case?
How the claim reads against the evidence
The trial supports PRP over a steroid shot on long-term pain and function for chronic plantar fasciitis. That is a narrower claim than "PRP is better," and a fair label should say which condition and which outcome it means.