City Medical Centre · multi-specialty surgery clinicOpen 24/7
EN
Message us on Telegram

Arthritis Treatment in Cardiff with PRP and SVF

As part of arthritis care, PRP and SVF cell therapy for the knee, hand, shoulder and other joints — after a doctor has first reviewed your case and tests

Consultation and review of your scansFree

Message us on WhatsApp

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

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

Message our coordinator

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

Message us on Telegram

By messaging us, you agree to our Privacy Policy

What it is

What is arthritis
and when does this treatment fit?

Arthritis refers to inflammation within a joint. Typical complaints are resting and night-time pain, morning stiffness beyond half an hour, swelling, redness and warmth. It may be driven by autoimmune disease like rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, by gout, by an infection or by a former 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

Whether this treatment fits you is a doctor's decision, made after an examination and a scan review

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: fever, flu or a cold, or inflamed skin over the joint being 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

Your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound are reviewed and the joint is examined, after which the doctor decides whether this procedure suits you. Already have scans? You can send them in advance.

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

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

Separated into layers by spinning in a centrifuge, the sample yields the stromal vascular fraction, which is isolated and mixed with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

The prepared material is injected directly into the affected joint under ultrasound guidance, which helps place it precisely.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

There are no crutches and no hospital stay. After the procedure the doctor keeps in touch and follows how the joint responds.

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 material from your body — your blood and adipose tissue — and nothing synthetic or from a donor

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

A small sample of your adipose tissue is processed to isolate the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) — a mix of cells involved in tissue repair. Combined with your own plasma, it is injected 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

A small amount of your blood is used to separate plasma rich in platelets and growth factors, which is then injected into the joint. It helps settle inflammation and gives tissue repair better conditions.

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

It may form one part of the overall treatment plan in rheumatoid and other types of 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

  • KneeKneeMeniscus problems, cartilage wear, and pain on the stairs and after walking
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain when lifting the arm, and wear affecting the joint and surrounding tendons
  • ElbowElbowJoint surfaces that have worn, plus pain after sports strain or overuse
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsSmall finger and wrist joints that feel stiff and hurt
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

Rather than replacing your joint, we work to keep it — this is treatment without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Only material from your body — your blood and adipose tissue — and nothing synthetic or from a donor

No crutches

No crutches

Small punctures, not incisions, a local anaesthetic and no lengthy rehabilitation

Second opinion

Second opinion

For a free, independent doctor's assessment, send us your X-rays, MRI or reports

Support after the procedure

Support after the procedure

After the injection day we stay in touch and keep following the result

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

By messaging us, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Request a free call

Price

Arthritis treatment prices

The cost depends on the joint, the type of arthritis and the method, so 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 Cardiff

The causes of arthritis vary: autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, gout, infection or an old injury. In Cardiff, the doctor first confirms the type of arthritis, because treatment depends on it.

Pain usually eases over the first month, and mobility improves over about three months. For patients from Cardiff, the full effect develops over around six months, and its duration differs from person to person.

Arthritis treatment in Cardiff: price at consultation, free case review, own tissue only. Leave your name and phone number, or message us in any messenger.

A diary that can follow a damp climate

Inflammatory arthritis rarely behaves the same way from one week to the next. A joint can be calm on Monday and red, warm and swollen by Thursday. Cardiff's climate gives a symptom diary plenty to record. The Met Office 1991-2020 figures for Bute Park show an annual precipitation of 1,203.5 mm, spread over 153.4 days with 1 mm of rain or more. In January the mean maximum is 8.6 °C and the mean minimum 2.5 °C. In July the mean maximum is 21.8 °C and the mean minimum 13.1 °C. Sunshine runs from 199.6 hours in July down to 50.4 hours in December.

Many people with joint disease feel that damp or dull spells change their symptoms. Whether that is true for you is something a diary can show, and this matters to the doctor. A line such as "wet week, knee worse" tells little on its own. The useful entries are dated and specific: how long the morning stiffness lasted, whether you woke at night with pain, whether a joint looked swollen, red or warm, and what you took for it.

The service text gives clear markers to record. Morning stiffness longer than half an hour, pain at night or at rest, swelling, and a joint that is red and warm all point towards inflammation rather than simple wear. Add one more daily line: a score from 0 to 10 for pain and one for stiffness. After a few weeks you will have a pattern that is easier to discuss than memory. The doctor reading it online can tell whether flares cluster, last for days or settle quickly, and that affects the timing of any joint injection.

Timing is the main reason the diary matters for PRP and SVF. According to the service information, the doctor confirms the type of arthritis first and waits for the right moment. Treatment is never given during a severe flare or an active joint infection. For inflammatory arthritis, SVF is applied after the acute flare has calmed. A dated record of when a flare began and when it eased helps the doctor judge that moment far better than a general description.

Keep the diary simple enough to continue. Many people use a notes app on their phone. Others write three lines each evening: pain score, stiffness duration in the morning, and anything unusual. Photographs of a swollen knuckle or knee, taken in the same light every few days, can be sent to the coordinator and shown to the doctor.

Reading the Welsh calendar: wet autumns, long weekends and race day

The Cardiff year has a rhythm that can be set beside your diary. According to the Met Office normals, the wettest months are December (139.6 mm), November (130.7 mm) and October (129.1 mm). April is the driest, with 72.1 mm. If your worst weeks keep landing in the wet quarter, that is worth writing down, though it does not prove the weather is the cause. Medication changes, a viral infection, poor sleep, or a busy period of work or study can all coincide with a bad stretch. Keep a column for those events too.

The city's activity calendar can also mark your records. The Cardiff Half Marathon takes place each October and attracts over 20,000 participants. Whether you run it, cheer from the side or only notice the crowds, a big event is a reminder to log your own activity load. A joint that is already inflamed does not respond well to a sudden jump in effort. The service text lists a high load on the joints, such as sport or physical work, among the reasons people seek treatment, and the doctor will want to know what that load looks like in your week.

Summer has its own markers. Cardiff Big Weekend is held in the city centre, and the Photomarathon exhibition runs in June or July. Longer days, more walking and more standing can show up as extra pain a day later. Note it as you would any other trigger.

Bank holidays matter for a practical reason. GOV.UK lists 8 bank holidays in England and Wales in 2026, including Christmas Day on 25 December and the substitute Boxing Day on 28 December. NHS appointments and many pharmacies work differently around those dates. If a flare comes at the end of December and your usual routes are slow, the coordinators who answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram can still receive your notes and scans. The online doctor can review them without waiting for a working day. That does not replace urgent medical help. A hot, swollen joint with fever needs same-day assessment locally, and the service text is clear that infection in or near a joint is a reason not to proceed with injections.

Specialist access, NHS routes and what an online opinion adds

Arthritis is common in the United Kingdom. Arthritis UK reports that over 10 million adults, young people and children live with it, according to the 2026 edition of its State of Musculoskeletal Health report. The NHS describes osteoarthritis as the most common type of arthritis in the UK. The risk rises with age, is higher in women than men, and is higher in people with obesity or a joint injury. A GP may suspect it in people aged 45 or older. Inflammatory types such as rheumatoid arthritis follow a different path, and the NHS states plainly that there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment is long-term medicine to relieve symptoms and slow progression, together with physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Surgery can correct joint problems that develop.

That matches how the doctors at City Medical Centre describe their role. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease managed by a rheumatologist. PRP and SVF injections do not cure it. Once an acute flare has settled, the doctor can assess whether joint injections might ease local symptoms. They are an addition to the plan your rheumatologist sets and never a replacement for it. If you take disease-modifying medicines, do not stop or change them because of anything you read here or hear in an online consultation.

Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales. It has a population of 381,516 in 2025 and lies at the centre of a capital region of about 1.5 million people. A large population does not make your own path any shorter, so the question is how to use each stage well. Before an NHS rheumatology appointment, the diary and scans help. Between appointments, an independent online opinion can answer a narrower question: whether a regenerative injection could be considered once the flare has calmed. The service offers a free second opinion on X-rays, MRI, ultrasound and blood test results, and it carries no obligation to book anything.

Be realistic about what the NHS pathway covers. The NHS says hip replacement may be considered when pain and stiffness have a big effect on life and other treatments have not worked. It names osteoarthritis as the leading cause, with rheumatoid arthritis and hip injury also listed. The service text describes PRP and SVF as aimed at keeping your own joint for longer. In early hip osteoarthritis, injections combined with exercise therapy and physiotherapy may reduce pain and improve movement. Where the joint is already badly damaged, replacement may be the more realistic option, and the doctor will say so after seeing your scans.

The file the doctor needs: scans, a medicine list and two weeks of notes

A useful online consultation depends mostly on what reaches the doctor beforehand. The coordinator will ask for your scans, meaning X-ray, MRI or ultrasound, and the doctor uses them to decide whether treatment suits you. Send the images themselves where you can, not only the written report. If you only have a report, send that too, then ask your GP or hospital whether the images can be released.

A short written summary of about one page will help more than a long history. Include these points:

- Which joints are affected, and which was first.

- When the symptoms began, and any diagnosis you have been given, such as rheumatoid, psoriatic arthritis or gout.

- Your current medicines, and any recent changes.

- Recent blood test results, if you have them.

- Previous injections or operations on the joint.

- Allergies, and anything that would make you unwell on the day, such as a fever, cold or flu.

Add the diary. Two weeks is enough for a first conversation. Note the dates of flares and when they eased. The doctor will also want to know about skin inflammation over the joint, because the service text lists any skin inflammation over the planned joint as a temporary contraindication. Fever, cold and flu also postpone treatment. Cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections, and a flare of a serious chronic illness are reasons the procedure is not done.

It also helps to understand what the procedure involves, so your questions are specific. According to the service text, a small amount of blood is taken from a vein for platelet-rich plasma. For SVF, roughly 30 ml of adipose tissue is taken under local anaesthetic through a single puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh, with no stitches. A centrifuge separates the sample, 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.

Write down your questions in advance. Good ones concern your type of arthritis, how the timing is chosen around a flare, which joint would be treated first, and how the doctor will follow your response afterwards. The service describes ongoing contact after the procedure, not only on injection day.

Water, hills and the Taff: keeping joints moving between flares

Cardiff's geography influences how people move. The city centre is relatively flat, with hills to the north, east and west, and the highest point of the local authority area, Garth Hill, reaches 307 m. The land beside the water was built on reclaimed marshland. The River Taff runs through the centre, and the Ely joins it before flowing into freshwater Cardiff Bay. The Taff Trail walking and cycle path runs 90 km from Cardiff Bay to Brecon.

For someone with arthritis, terrain matters more than most people expect. Flat ground is easier on an inflamed knee, ankle or hip than a long climb, and descents often hurt the knee more than ascents. The service text lists pain after walks and on stairs among the knee complaints, and limited rotation and groin pain among early hip complaints. If you use the paths by the river or the bay, note in the diary how far you went, whether the ground was flat or hilly, and how the joint felt that evening and the next morning. Do the same on days when you swim.

Cardiff Bay is also home to Cardiff International Pool, which opened on 12 January 2008. Cardiff residents have a sporting reputation: in 2008/09, 61% regularly took part in sport, the highest of the 22 local authorities in Wales, and the city was named European City of Sport for 2009 and 2014. Activity is generally encouraged in arthritis care. But the advice for your joint depends on whether it is flaring, and the doctor or physiotherapist should guide the choice. During an active flare, rest and medical advice come first. Once it settles, a graded return to movement is usually part of the plan, and the service text pairs injections with exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Body weight also comes up. The NHS lists obesity as a risk factor for osteoarthritis, and the service text names body weight among the factors that shape how long benefit lasts. Your doctor may discuss it as one factor among many, without judgement.

Finally, keep expectations realistic. The service text gives an averaged timeline: after a week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases. Mobility and activity improve around three months, and the full effect develops at about six months. How long benefit lasts differs from person to person, and no one can promise a fixed result. Keep recording in the diary through that period. It becomes the evidence of how you respond.

Should I record the weather in my arthritis diary if I live in Cardiff?

A short weather note is fine, such as "rain all day" or "cold morning", but it should sit beside more reliable entries. Record morning stiffness (the service text treats longer than 30 minutes as a warning sign), night pain, swelling, redness and warmth, and any change in medicines. After a few weeks, you and the doctor can see whether weather matters for you or whether activity, illness or stress explains more.

Are the wetter months in Cardiff a reason to postpone treatment?

Not by themselves. Timing depends on your joint, not the calendar. The doctor waits until an acute flare has settled and never treats during a severe flare or an active infection. In Cardiff the wettest months are December, November and October, according to the Met Office normals, so if your flares tend to fall then, tell the doctor. It may influence how you plan around a quieter period.

How do I fit an online consultation around NHS rheumatology care?

Treat it as an addition. Keep your NHS appointments and your prescribed medicines. Use the online consultation to get a second opinion on your scans and to ask whether PRP or SVF could be considered as part of the plan once a flare has calmed. The service text says these injections work alongside a rheumatologist's care for a systemic disease, not instead of it. It is useful to tell your rheumatologist what you are considering.

Can I contact the coordinators over a bank holiday weekend?

Yes. The coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, including on bank holidays. England and Wales have 8 in 2026, among them 25 December and the substitute Boxing Day on 28 December. They can receive your scans and notes at any time. For a sudden hot, swollen joint with fever, though, seek urgent medical help locally, because infection is a reason injections are not given.

Which scans should I collect from the NHS before the consultation?

Ask your GP or hospital for X-ray, MRI or ultrasound images of the affected joint, and the written reports. The coordinator will ask for them, and the doctor uses them to decide whether treatment suits you. Recent blood test results and a list of current medicines also help. If you do not have scans, you can still start the conversation and the doctor will explain what is needed.

Does the walking and cycling around Cardiff Bay suit someone with inflamed joints?

It depends on the state of the joint. The city centre is relatively flat, which is gentler than hills, and the Taff Trail runs 90 km from Cardiff Bay to Brecon, so distances vary a lot. During a flare, rest and medical advice come first. Between flares, many plans include gentle movement and physiotherapy. Note distance, ground and how the joint felt the next morning, and ask the doctor what level is sensible for you.

Can PRP or SVF replace the medicines my rheumatologist prescribed?

No. The service text states that these injections are given alongside, not instead of, a rheumatologist's care. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis according to the NHS, and long-term medicine remains the foundation. Injections may help local symptoms in a chosen joint once a flare has calmed. Never stop or reduce prescribed medicines without your rheumatologist's agreement.

What if I am over 45 and think my pain is osteoarthritis, not inflammatory arthritis?

The NHS notes that a GP may suspect osteoarthritis in people aged 45 or older, and that it is the most common type of arthritis in the UK. Osteoarthritis is cartilage wear, often felt as a dry crunch and aching pain, while inflammatory arthritis brings redness, warmth and marked swelling. The doctor will look at your scans and history to confirm which you have. Both types are covered by the service, and for osteoarthritis early and moderate stages are the most suitable.