Fat Grafting for Foot Pain Study

STUDY BASICS

Do you have pain in your foot that makes standing or walking uncomfortable? Do you feel like the fat pads in your feet are worn and you are walking on your bone? If so, you may be able to take part in a research study to better understand how fat grafting (transferring fat from one part of the body to another) works in the foot.

STUDY PURPOSE

It is believed that the average person with an eighty year life span will walk the distance of the world twice in their lifetime. Your foot has a fat pad to provide shock absorption and protection while walking, but breakdown of this pad over time can lead to callus formation, foot pain, and ulcer formation. People with high blood sugar and increased body weight are at a higher risk of fat pad loss. A common treatment for people with fat pad breakdown is fat grafting. Fat grafting is a minimally-invasive procedure in which a person’s own fat is removed from one area and injected into another. The purpose of this research study is to better understand what happens to fat after it has been injected into the foot.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• 18 and up
• Pain in foot that makes standing or walking uncomfortable
• Not pregnant
• No tobacco use within past year

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Study includes 5-6 visits lasting 2-3 hours each over a 6 month period. These visits will occur before and after the fat graft procedure. An MRI will be performed at the first visit and at 6 months after foot injections. Parking will be provided to you at no charge during study visits. The fat grafting procedure and MRI are performed at no cost and your insurance will not be billed.