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Arthritis in Bari: When This Treatment Fits

First a doctor reviews your tests and history; then PRP and SVF cell therapy may join your arthritis care for the knee, hand, shoulder or other joints

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Knee joint: regenerative treatment without surgery
Joint treatment without surgery. Free consultation and review of your scans

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What it is

What is arthritis
and when does this treatment fit?

When a joint becomes inflamed, doctors call it arthritis. Common signs include night and resting pain, morning stiffness longer than half an hour, swelling, and redness with warmth over the joint. It can stem from autoimmune disease (rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis), gout, infection or an earlier injury.

  • No surgery — an injection instead of an operation
  • Own tissue — your blood and adipose tissue
  • Ultrasound guidance for every injection
Knee joint: an injection under ultrasound guidance

Who the treatment suits

It is a doctor who decides, after examining you and going through your scans, whether the treatment suits you

Suitable

A doctor reviews knee X-rays with a patient
  • Pain, crunching or stiffness in a joint
  • Painkillers only help for a short time
  • Recovery after injuries and surgery
  • You need a second opinion on your scans
  • You want to avoid or postpone joint replacement
  • Early or moderate arthrosis or arthritis
  • High load on the joints — sport or physical work

Not suitable

A doctor examines a patient's knee
  • Cancer
  • Pregnancy
  • Blood clotting disorders
  • Acute infections, including infection in or near the joint
  • Flare-up of a serious chronic illness
  • Temporary contraindications: a cold or flu, a fever, or inflamed skin over the joint that is to be treated

Not sure the treatment is right for you?

Leave your number — the coordinator will ask for your scans (X-ray, MRI or ultrasound), and the doctor will tell you whether treatment without surgery suits you.

Find out if it suits me

What we treat

Conditions we treat

How it works

How the procedure goes: step by step

Consultation and scan review1

Consultation and scan review

If you already have scans, send them before the visit: the doctor examines the joint, reviews your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound and decides whether the procedure suits you.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

Platelet-rich plasma with growth factors is prepared later from a small amount of blood taken from your vein.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

With local anaesthetic, a small amount of adipose tissue — about 30 ml — is collected through a puncture on the inner thigh or abdomen, and no stitches are required.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

In a centrifuge the sample separates into layers; the stromal vascular fraction is then isolated and mixed with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Using ultrasound guidance to place it precisely, the prepared material is injected directly into the joint that is affected.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

The doctor follows how the joint responds and stays in touch after the procedure — and you need no crutches or hospital stay.

Book a consultation

Call or message us — our coordinator will contact you shortly and book your consultation

A doctor talks with a patient about joint treatment
Book a consultation
A doctor talks with a patient about joint treatment

Results

After the procedure

  • Doctor talking warmly with a patient after the procedure

    1 week

    The joint may ache a little more — this is an expected reaction.

  • Doctor consulting an older patient one month after treatment

    1 month

    The pain usually eases.

  • Doctor explaining progress to a patient using a knee joint model

    ~3 months

    Mobility and activity improve.

  • Doctor and patient walking together at a follow-up visit

    ~6 months

    The full effect develops.

How long it lasts differs from person to person and depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors — no one can promise a fixed result.

Comparison

Methods we use

Only your own blood and adipose tissue are used — no donor or synthetic material

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

To obtain the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a mix of cells that support tissue repair, a small sample of your adipose tissue is processed. The SVF is combined with your own plasma and injected into the affected joint.

A doctor explains SVF cell therapy for the knee to a patient on a tablet

When the acute flare has died down, it can be used in inflammatory arthritis to act on local inflammation and help tissue repair.

Material
Your adipose tissue and plasma
How it is given
Into the joint, under ultrasound
Duration
The whole procedure is done in one day.

PRP — platelet-rich plasma from your own blood

Separated from a small volume of your blood, plasma rich in platelets and growth factors is injected into the joint to help calm inflammation and create better conditions for tissue repair.

A doctor explains PRP therapy for joints to a patient on a monitor

It can be advised for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthritis, as a single element of the wider treatment plan.

Material
Your blood from a vein
How it is given
Into the joint, under ultrasound
Duration
The whole procedure is done in one day.

The benefits and timings shown are averaged and given for guidance: the plan and recovery depend on your joint and individual features, and the doctor confirms them at the consultation.

At the consultation the doctor will review your scans and suggest a treatment plan

Free consultation

Book a consultation

Joints

Joints we treat

Any size of joint, large or small: your scans are reviewed first, then the doctor settles on the joint, the method and the number of injections

  • KneeKneeMeniscus problems, cartilage wear, and pain on the stairs and after walking
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain as you raise the arm, plus wear of the joint and the tendons around it
  • ElbowElbowPain following overuse or sports strain, along with worn joint surfaces
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsStiff, painful small joints in the fingers and wrist
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

Our focus is saving your own joint, not replacing it, through treatment without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Only your own blood and adipose tissue are used — no donor or synthetic material

No crutches

No crutches

Instead of incisions we use punctures, with local anaesthetic and no long rehabilitation

Second opinion

Second opinion

A doctor independently assesses the X-rays, MRI or reports you send — free of charge

Support after the procedure

Support after the procedure

We remain in contact after the procedure and follow the result, well beyond the injection day

About the clinic

A clinic where you can feel at ease

Modern equipment, comfortable rooms and care for every patient

A doctor and a patient at the clinic

Contact us the way that suits you

We will answer your questions and find a convenient time for a consultation

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Request a free call

Price

Arthritis treatment prices

Because the joint, the type of arthritis and the method all affect the cost, the doctor names it after the consultation

FAQ

Joint treatment: frequently asked questions

About the conditions

More about these conditions

Other services of our clinic

Choosing arthritis treatment in Bari

Growth factors released by platelets influence the immune response and tissue repair. For patients from Bari with rheumatoid and other inflammatory arthritis, PRP may be one part of the overall plan.

An arthritic joint hurts even at rest because inflammation keeps stimulating pain receptors. For patients from Bari, treatment aimed at reducing that inflammation can ease pain at rest and at night.

Leave a request, and a coordinator will contact you to arrange a free consultation. The price of arthritis treatment in Bari is explained before any procedure.

A joint diary shaped by the Adriatic calendar

Bari sits at 5 m above sea level on the Adriatic coast, and its climate record gives a useful frame for anyone who keeps a symptom diary. In the 1991-2020 averages measured at the main weather station, July brings a mean high of 30.6 °C and a low of 20.0 °C, while January averages 12.6 °C by day and 4.1 °C at night. The yearly means are 21.1 °C for highs and 11.5 °C for lows. Records reach 45.6 °C at the top and -7.6 °C at the bottom, so a stretch of unusual weather can sit far from the average.

Rain and humidity follow a pattern of their own. About 466.6 mm falls in a year, spread over 61.4 days with at least 1 mm. November is the wettest month at 62.0 mm and October follows at 53.9 mm, while August is the driest at 13.3 mm. Relative humidity averages 68.5%, from 60.4% in July to 74.9% in November. Sunshine adds up to 2,829.5 hours a year, with 355.6 in July and only 120.4 in December.

None of this proves that weather causes a flare, and the diary is the way to find out whether it matters for you. Some people with arthritis feel that damp, grey months are harder, and others notice nothing. Writing down the date, the pain level, the minutes of morning stiffness, any swelling, and whether the joint looked red or felt warm lets you and the doctor compare your own notes with the autumn rains or the dry summer. A feeling about the weather becomes a pattern you can look at.

A diary kept from November 2026 through the wet autumn, the mild winter and into spring would already show a full contrast between the dampest and the driest stretches. Even a few lines a day are enough. What matters is that the same questions are answered every time, so the entries can be compared.

What to record, and how to make it useful

The symptoms that tell an inflamed joint from a worn one are specific. Inflammatory arthritis tends to bring pain at night or at rest, morning stiffness lasting longer than half an hour, swelling, and a joint that is red and warm. Wear of the cartilage, called osteoarthritis, is usually noticed as a dry crunch and aching pain when the joint moves. Your diary should therefore separate these things instead of recording only "bad day" or "good day".

A practical layout has five short lines for each day:

- Night: did pain wake you, and was the joint sore while resting?

- Morning: how many minutes passed before the joint loosened? Mark any day when it was longer than 30 minutes.

- Joint appearance: swelling, redness, warmth. A quick phone photo in the same light helps.

- Activity: what you did, including sport or physical work, since heavy load on the joints is one of the factors the doctor considers.

- Medication and other events: what you took and when, plus any fever, cold, flu or skin irritation near the joint.

That last line matters more than it seems. A fever, cold or flu, or any skin inflammation over the joint planned for treatment, is a temporary reason to wait. If your diary shows a recent infection, the doctor can see why the timing may need to move. It also gives your rheumatologist, if you have one, a clear picture of what happened between appointments.

Try to keep the entries factual. "Right knee swollen, warm, stiff 50 minutes" says more than "terrible morning". If a flare is under way, write down when it began and when it eased. That detail matters because of how the treatment is timed.

Flares, timing and why a calm joint comes first

For inflammatory arthritis, PRP and SVF are not used in the middle of a storm. The doctor first confirms the type of arthritis and waits for the right moment, and does not act during a severe flare or an active joint infection. For SVF, the cell therapy made from your own adipose tissue, the plan is to apply it after the acute flare has calmed, because of its effect on local inflammation and on tissue repair. PRP, which is plasma rich in platelets from your own blood, may be advised for rheumatoid or other inflammatory arthritis, always as one part of an overall plan.

This is why the diary has a practical use. A calendar of flares shows when the joint was quiet and when it was not. If you contact the coordinators during a hot, swollen week, expect the conversation to be about waiting and watching as well as about booking. The same applies to a joint that has become feverish or acutely infected. In that case the procedure is postponed and the doctor offers another option.

Some conditions rule the procedure out altogether: cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections including infection in or near the joint, and a flare-up of a serious chronic illness. The doctor goes through these at the consultation, so mention anything of this kind in your first message.

It is also important to be clear about what injections do not do. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease treated by a rheumatologist. PRP and SVF do not cure it. Psoriatic arthritis is chronic, and there is currently no way to cure it completely. The aim is to keep inflammation in check and prevent joint deformity, with regenerative injections as one possible element. Treatment of this kind sits alongside the care of your rheumatologist and never replaces it. Left untreated, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to joint deformity, loss of function, osteoporosis and damage to organs such as the heart, lungs and kidneys, so a prescribed treatment should not be dropped.

National health coverage and the online consultation side by side

Italy's national health service, the SSN, was set up in 1978 and gives universal coverage to citizens and residents. It runs on a regional basis under the Ministry of Health, which sets the national Essential Levels of Care, known as LEA. For someone in Bari this means that the ordinary route for a rheumatology referral, blood tests or imaging belongs to the Apulia regional system, and that route stays open whatever else you decide.

Access has some practical features worth knowing. Waiting times are usually up to a few months in the big public facilities, and private facilities contracted with the SSN usually need up to a few weeks, although no official waiting-list figure is available. Specialist visits carry a co-payment, with exemptions by age, income or chronic illness, and free access for low-income patients. If you have a long-term inflammatory condition, ask your family doctor or the health authority whether an exemption applies to you. The details differ from case to case, and this text cannot confirm them.

An online consultation with City Medical Centre is a separate step and does not replace those services. It is free, the coordinators reply on WhatsApp and Telegram round the clock, and the doctor reviews your scans and tells you whether treatment without surgery could suit you. Think of it as a second opinion that sits beside your public care. If you are waiting for a public appointment, the consultation can help you prepare better questions for it. If your rheumatologist already follows you, your plan stays in their hands, and the doctor assessing your scans will take that into account.

Because the SSN waiting times can stretch over months, scans from earlier appointments are often the most valuable material you have. Ask for copies and reports from every examination, not just the latest one, since a series shows how a joint has changed over time.

Preparing for the conversation with the doctor

A well-prepared first contact saves days. The coordinator will ask for your scans, meaning X-ray, MRI or ultrasound, and the doctor can also look at blood test results and written reports. Photograph or scan them clearly and send them before the consultation if you can. Include dates, since the order of examinations is part of the story.

Put together a short note with these points:

- Which joint or joints are affected, and since when.

- The diagnosis you have been given, if any: rheumatoid, psoriatic, gout, or still unclear.

- What you take now, including painkillers, and how long they help. Painkillers that only help for a short time are one of the signs the doctor looks for.

- Previous injuries or operations on the joint.

- Your diary, or at least a summary of the last several weeks.

- Any fever, cold, flu, skin problem over the joint, or pregnancy.

Timing is easy because the coordinators answer 24/7. Italian public holidays, including every Sunday, 15 August, 1 November, 8 December and Christmas, close many public offices, but they do not change the round-the-clock availability of the chat. The patron-saint feast of St Nicholas on 8 May is celebrated in Bari, though it has not been confirmed as a public holiday on the national list. If you need records from a public health office, remember to request them before a holiday week begins.

When you write, one clear paragraph is better than many fragments. Name the joint, the diagnosis, the date of your last flare, and attach the scans. The doctor will then know quickly whether the case calls for waiting, a closer look, or a plan.

What the procedure involves and how results develop

If the doctor decides that treatment suits you, the steps are straightforward. A small amount of blood is taken from a vein and platelet-rich plasma is prepared from it. For SVF, about 30 ml of adipose tissue is taken under local anaesthetic through a single puncture on the abdomen or the inner thigh, with no stitches. A centrifuge separates the sample into layers, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and added to the plasma, and the material is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. The whole procedure is done in one day. There are no crutches and no hospital stay, and afterwards the doctor keeps in touch and follows how the joint responds.

Only material from your own body is used, your blood and adipose tissue, and nothing synthetic or from a donor. The doctor chooses the joint, the method and the number of injections after reviewing your scans. The joints covered include the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, the small joints of the hand and wrist, and the ankle.

Expectations should stay realistic. In the first week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases, at around three months mobility and activity improve, and at about six months the full effect develops. How long it lasts differs from person to person and depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors, and no one can promise a fixed result. Your diary is the best tool for judging progress, because you can compare the same weeks before and after in the same terms.

Does Bari's damp autumn mean I should postpone a consultation until spring?

No. The consultation is online and free, and it concerns your scans and symptoms, not the season. November is the wettest month in Bari at 62.0 mm, with humidity averaging 74.9%, but the timing of any injection depends on whether the joint is calm, not on the calendar. If you are in a flare, the doctor will probably wait until it settles, so it makes sense to send your scans now and start the diary at once.

How can the Bari climate figures help me read my diary?

They give you a reference. Bari averages 466.6 mm of rain a year, with a wet autumn and a dry August at 13.3 mm, and mean highs of 30.6 °C in July against 12.6 °C in January. If your bad weeks cluster in damp months, you will see it in your notes. If they do not, the weather is probably not your trigger. The diary shows the pattern and the figures simply supply the context, so weather alone is not a reason to start or delay anything.

Can I use the national health service and still ask for an online opinion?

Yes. Italy's SSN gives universal coverage to citizens and residents and runs through the regions, and an online consultation does not replace it. Keep your rheumatology follow-up and your referrals. The doctor reviewing your scans gives an independent view and says whether PRP or SVF could be one part of the plan, alongside the treatment your rheumatologist prescribes.

Waiting for a public specialist appointment takes months. What can I do in the meantime?

Waiting times are usually up to a few months in the big public facilities, so use the time well. Keep the diary, gather every scan and report with dates, and send them for a free review. Do not stop prescribed medication while you wait. If the joint becomes hot, red and feverish, treat it as urgent and seek medical care through the usual emergency route instead of waiting for an appointment.

Do exemptions for chronic illness affect an online consultation?

The exemptions mentioned in the national system concern co-payments for specialist visits in the public service, and they depend on age, income or chronic illness. The online consultation and review of your scans with City Medical Centre is free of charge. Whether you qualify for an exemption in the public system is a question for your family doctor or health authority, since this text cannot decide it.

What should I do if I get a cold or fever shortly before my planned procedure?

Tell the coordinator immediately. A fever, cold or flu, or any skin inflammation over the joint planned for treatment, is a temporary contraindication, and the doctor will move the date. Record it in your diary as well. A joint infection is a stricter reason to stop altogether, and in that case the procedure is postponed or another option is offered.

Will an injection replace my rheumatoid arthritis medication?

No. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease that is treated by a rheumatologist, and PRP and SVF do not cure it. Once an acute flare has settled, the doctor can assess whether joint injections may ease local symptoms. They supplement the treatment prescribed by your rheumatologist and do not replace it, so keep taking your prescribed medication unless your own specialist tells you otherwise.

Are Sundays and public holidays a problem for getting my questions answered?

Not for the coordinators, who answer on WhatsApp and Telegram 24/7, including on Sundays and on dates such as 15 August, 1 November, 8 December and Christmas. Public offices that issue records may be closed on those days, so if you need a report or a copy of a scan from a public facility, ask for it before a holiday. The reply to your first message does not depend on the calendar.