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Regenerative Arthritis Care in Bonn

For arthritis in the knee, hand, shoulder or another joint, PRP and SVF cell therapy form one part of care — starting with a doctor's review of your tests

Consultation and review of your scansFree

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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

The treatment is only offered once a doctor has examined you and reviewed your scans and found it suitable

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

A little blood is drawn from a vein, and from it platelet-rich plasma containing growth factors is later prepared.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

About 30 ml of adipose tissue is taken through a puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh, under local anaesthetic; the puncture needs no stitches.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

The stromal vascular fraction is isolated after the sample is spun in a centrifuge and separates into layers, then mixed with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

The prepared material goes directly into the affected joint, with ultrasound guidance helping to place it accurately.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

You go without crutches or a hospital stay, while the doctor keeps in touch after the procedure and follows the joint's response.

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

No synthetic or donor material is involved — only your own adipose tissue and blood

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

Processing a small sample of adipose tissue from your body isolates the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) — cells that play a part in tissue repair. This is combined with your plasma and injected straight into the affected joint.

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

Inflammatory arthritis is one use for it, once the acute flare has settled — because it acts on local inflammation and 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

It helps calm inflammation and improves conditions for tissue repair: plasma rich in platelets and growth factors, separated from a small amount of your blood and injected into the joint.

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

As one element of the whole treatment plan, it may be recommended in rheumatoid and other inflammatory arthritis.

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

We treat large and small joints; the joint, the method and the injection count are set by the doctor after a review of your scans

  • KneeKneeWear of the cartilage, problems with the meniscus, pain after walking and on stairs
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderRaising the arm hurts; the joint and the tendons around it are worn
  • ElbowElbowJoint surfaces that have worn, plus pain after sports strain or overuse
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsPain and stiffness in the small joints of the wrist and fingers
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

Treatment without surgery that sets out to keep your own joint instead of replacing it

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

No synthetic or donor material is involved — only your own adipose tissue and blood

No crutches

No crutches

Punctures, not incisions; local anaesthetic; and rehabilitation that is not long

Second opinion

Second opinion

An independent assessment from a doctor, free of charge, once you send your X-rays, MRI or reports

Support after the procedure

Support after the procedure

We stay in touch after the procedure and follow the result, not just the day of the injection

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

How PRP and SVF work in arthritis for Bonn residents

SVF contains cells that can modulate the local immune response and support the repair of damaged tissue. Research is ongoing, so the doctor discusses realistic expectations with every patient in Bonn.

PRP may be given as a course of injections or together with SVF. The method and number of injections are chosen for each patient from Bonn after the examination.

The cost of arthritis treatment depends on the joint, the type of arthritis and the method, so the price is set at the consultation. For patients from Bonn, the first consultation and review of your scans are free. Leave your name and phone number to book.

Is that swollen joint arthritis? Signs worth noting

Inflammation sits at the centre of arthritis. The signs to look for are pain at night or at rest, morning stiffness lasting longer than half an hour, swelling, and a joint that looks red and feels warm. The cause may be autoimmune, as in rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, or it may be gout, an infection or an old injury. These signs separate arthritis from simple wear of the cartilage, which tends to announce itself as a dry crunch and an aching joint during movement.

The difference matters for people in Bonn, as elsewhere in Germany. About five million people in the country have osteoarthritis, and around 400,000 hip and knee replacements were performed in 2016. Against that background, an inflammatory joint can easily be filed under "wear and tear" and left unexamined. If a knee is warm and tender to the touch, or a finger joint is swollen after a night's rest, that points toward inflammation and deserves a proper assessment.

During the online consultation, the doctor first works out which type of arthritis is involved. PRP and SVF, which use your own blood and adipose tissue, are discussed only after that. They do not replace a rheumatologist's care for a systemic disease. The doctor also waits for the right moment: nothing is done during a severe flare or an active joint infection, and a fever, a cold or any skin inflammation over the joint postpones the procedure.

Coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram. If you are unsure whether what you feel is inflammation, you can describe it in a message and send scans you already have. An X-ray, MRI or ultrasound is enough to begin, and the review of your scans is free.

Bonn's seasons and a symptom diary that can hold them

A symptom diary is the most useful thing to start before a consultation. It does not need to be elaborate. Each day, note which joints hurt, how long the morning stiffness lasted (is it longer than half an hour?), whether the joint was swollen, red or warm, and how well you slept. Add what you did that day. Over a few weeks, such notes show the doctor whether you have clear flares and quiet phases, which is the information that decides when injections can be considered at all.

Bonn offers a steady background for those notes. The mean daily maximum is 5.4 °C in January, with the mean temperature at 3.0 °C and nights around 0.4–0.5 °C in January and February. In July the mean daily maximum is 25.3 °C, and the record is 40.3 °C. Annual precipitation is 645 mm, with June the wettest month at 78 mm and October the driest at 30 mm. Sunshine averages 4.5 hours a day over the year, about 7 hours from May to August and only 1 hour in December.

Recording the day's temperature and rain beside your joint notes lets you and the doctor look for patterns. Some people see a link between weather and their joints, and others do not. We cannot promise a link, and the diary is there to check rather than assume. A column for activity helps too. The city runs from 45.6 m above sea level at its lowest point to 195.3 m at Paffelsberg, so a walking route can include slopes. Noting whether a hill or a long sit, such as an evening of the Beethovenfest in September, was followed by stiffness is the kind of detail a consultation can use.

Write down any flare dates, even rough ones. The doctor will want to know when the last acute flare settled, because that timing guides whether PRP or SVF can be considered.

Insurance, specialists and where online care fits

About 92% of the German population is covered by statutory health insurance. As of 2024, about 88% of the working population is insured through statutory funds and about 11% privately. In practice, many people in Bonn already have a rheumatologist, or a referral route to one, through their insurer. That route matters because inflammatory arthritis is a long-term condition managed by a specialist, and our service is meant to sit beside it.

An online consultation with City Medical Centre is therefore a second voice, not a substitute. The doctor reviews your scans, asks about your current treatment and says whether regenerative injections could make sense as one part of the plan. In rheumatoid or other inflammatory arthritis, PRP may be advised only as part of the overall plan, and it supplements what your rheumatologist prescribes. For psoriatic arthritis, which is chronic, the aim is long remission: keeping inflammation in check and preventing deformity of the joint.

Do not assume that your insurer will or will not cover this kind of treatment. Coverage rules depend on your fund and tariff, and nothing here changes that. If it matters to you, ask your insurer before you decide. The doctor gives the price for PRP or cell therapy after the consultation, because it depends on the joint, the method and the type of arthritis. You are under no obligation to book anything after the free review.

If you are weighing a joint replacement, the German picture is useful context. An uncomplicated hip replacement usually means about six to eight days in hospital, with follow-up rehabilitation arranged during the stay. PRP and SVF involve no hospital stay and no crutches. They are not a universal alternative: in advanced hip osteoarthritis, replacement may be the more realistic option, and the doctor will say so honestly after seeing your scans.

Preparing your file and your questions for the video consultation

Preparation is simple, and a little of it makes the conversation far more productive. Gather the scans you have (X-rays, MRI or ultrasound) and any recent blood test results or reports. Photos or files can be sent to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram before the call, so that the doctor has already seen them when you speak. If you have none, say so; the coordinator will explain what to arrange.

Next, prepare the facts about your condition. List the diagnosis if you have one, the medicines you take, and when your last acute flare started and ended. Mention any fever, cold, flu or skin inflammation over the joint, because these are temporary reasons to postpone treatment. Also say if you are pregnant, have had cancer, have a blood clotting disorder or have a known infection in or near the joint. These are the situations in which the procedure is not done, and the doctor will offer another option or wait.

Bring your diary and a short list of questions. Useful ones include: which joint should come first, whether PRP, SVF or both fit your type of arthritis, how the doctor will judge the right moment after a flare, and how progress will be followed. Expectations should be realistic. After the procedure, the joint may ache a little more in the first week, which is an expected reaction. The pain usually eases around one month, mobility and activity improve at roughly three months, and the full effect develops at about six months. How long it lasts differs from person to person.

Finally, think about the day itself. The whole procedure is done in one day: a blood sample for PRP, a sample of roughly 30 ml of adipose tissue taken under local anaesthetic through a single puncture, processing in a centrifuge, and an injection into the joint under ultrasound guidance. The doctor stays in touch afterwards and follows how the joint responds.

Should I wait for a flare in Bonn to pass before arranging a consultation?

You can arrange the consultation at any time, including during a flare. The online review of your scans is free and involves no injection. The injections themselves are never given during a severe flare or an active joint infection, so the doctor will tell you when the right moment is likely to be.

Does Bonn's weather cause my arthritis flares?

Nothing we have says weather causes flares. Bonn has a January mean daily maximum of 5.4 °C, a July mean of 25.3 °C and 645 mm of annual precipitation, and you can note these beside your joint symptoms. If a pattern appears over several weeks, show it to the doctor; if not, the diary still records flare timing, which matters for planning.

What should my symptom diary contain before the consultation?

Record which joints hurt, how long morning stiffness lasted (longer than half an hour is worth noting), any swelling, redness or warmth, sleep quality and your activity. Add the date each flare began and settled. These notes help the doctor judge whether the joint is calm enough for PRP or SVF to be considered.

I am insured through a statutory fund. Will it cover PRP or SVF?

We cannot tell you that, because it depends on your fund and tariff. About 92% of people in Germany have statutory health insurance, and the rest are mostly privately insured, but coverage differs from case to case. Ask your insurer directly, and note that the doctor gives the price only after the consultation.

Can I keep seeing my rheumatologist while using this service?

Yes, and you should. Rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis are systemic diseases managed by a rheumatologist. PRP and SVF do not cure them and do not replace that care; they may be one part of the plan once an acute flare has settled. Tell the doctor about all your current medicines during the consultation.

Can I send scans that were taken some time ago?

Yes. Send whatever X-rays, MRI, ultrasound or blood test results you have to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram. The doctor reviews them free of charge and says whether regenerative treatment could suit your type of arthritis. If the scans are not recent enough, you will be told what is worth arranging.

Could I postpone a joint replacement with this treatment?

In early or moderate arthrosis or arthritis, PRP or SVF may help you avoid or postpone replacement. Where the joint is already badly damaged, replacement can be the more realistic option, and the doctor will say this plainly after seeing your scans. In Germany, an uncomplicated hip replacement typically involves a hospital stay of about six to eight days.

How do I start the process if I am in Bonn?

Message the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram at any hour; replies come round the clock. Send your scans and a short note about your joint and symptoms, or simply leave your number. The coordinator will then arrange the video consultation with the doctor.