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Arthritis Treatment in Constanta: Steps and Aftercare

A doctor looks at your case and tests first, then PRP and SVF cell therapy can become part of 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?

An inflamed joint is the core of arthritis. Look for pain at night or when resting, stiffness in the morning for longer than half an hour, swelling, and a joint that is red and warm. The cause can be autoimmune (rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis), gout, infection or a long-past 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

A doctor examines you, reviews your scans and then decides whether the treatment is 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 fever, cold or flu, or any skin inflammation over the joint planned for treatment

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

The doctor decides on the procedure only after examining the joint and reviewing your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound. You are welcome to send any scans you have before the appointment.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

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

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

Under local anaesthetic, a small portion of adipose tissue (about 30 ml) is taken through a puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh. No stitches are needed.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

Once the centrifuge has spun the sample into layers, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and added to the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

We inject the prepared material right into the affected joint, guided by ultrasound so that it is placed precisely.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No crutches and no hospital stay. The doctor stays in touch after the procedure 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

Just your blood and your adipose tissue; donor and synthetic materials are not used

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

The affected joint receives an injection of the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) — a set of cells involved in tissue repair, isolated from a small sample of your adipose tissue — combined with your own plasma.

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

Injected into the joint, plasma rich in platelets and growth factors — separated from a small amount of your blood — helps calm inflammation and makes conditions for tissue repair better.

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

For rheumatoid and other forms of inflammatory arthritis it may be suggested as one component of the overall plan of treatment.

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

The doctor looks at your scans and then chooses which joint to treat, which method to use and how many injections — for large and small joints alike

  • KneeKneeCartilage wear, meniscus problems, pain on stairs and after walking
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderJoint and surrounding tendon wear, with pain on lifting the arm
  • ElbowElbowPain brought on by overuse or sporting strain, with wear of the joint surfaces
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsFinger and wrist small joints that are stiff and painful
  • 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

Just your blood and your adipose tissue; donor and synthetic materials are not used

No crutches

No crutches

Punctures in place of incisions, under local anaesthetic, without a long rehabilitation

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

After the procedure we keep in touch and follow the result, not only 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

Cost varies with the joint, the arthritis type and the method, so it is named by the doctor after the consultation

FAQ

Joint treatment: frequently asked questions

About the conditions

More about these conditions

Other services of our clinic

Arthritis treatment in Constanta: what you should know

Without treatment, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to permanent joint deformity, loss of function and damage to internal organs. Timely treatment matters for every patient in Constanta.

No crutches and no hospital stay are needed. The puncture sites are small and covered with dressings, and the doctor stays in touch with patients in Constanta after the procedure.

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

Why a joint can feel different from one week to the next on the Black Sea coast

Constanta sits on the Black Sea coast at an elevation of about 25 m, and its climate is classed as humid subtropical. The 1991-2020 normals give a mean high of 4.7 °C and a mean low of -1.2 °C in January. In July and August the mean high is 27.9 °C, with lows close to 20 °C. Annual relative humidity is 82%, rising to 88% in December and falling to 76% in July. Snow falls on about 22 days a year, and the records run from 38.5 °C down to -25.0 °C.

Many people with inflammatory arthritis say that damp, cold or changeable weather makes their joints feel worse. Those figures describe the conditions people live in, but they do not prove that weather causes a flare. Arthritis can be autoimmune (rheumatoid or psoriatic), gout, infection or the after-effect of an old injury, and each of these has its own triggers. The useful question is whether your own joints follow a pattern. A dated record can answer that more reliably than memory.

The main signs of an inflamed joint 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. If these signs appear on the same days as a change in weather, a meal, a poor night's sleep or a stressful week, the doctor can see the link in your notes. If they appear with no pattern at all, that is also worth knowing, because it points the discussion away from the weather and towards the disease itself.

Dobruja's rainfall is modest: 467.1 mm a year, spread over 59.5 days with at least 1 mm. The wettest months are May (44.8 mm) and October (44.4 mm), and the driest is February (25.9 mm). The 1991-2020 normals are warmer and wetter than the 1961-1990 ones, so the seasons your joints met a few decades ago are not exactly the seasons they meet now. When you describe how a typical year goes for you, tie it to months and not to vague impressions.

Keeping a flare log that makes the online consultation shorter

A consultation held by video or messages depends on what you can show and describe. The doctor cannot press on the joint, so the doctor relies on your notes and your scans. Start the log a few weeks before the conversation, and keep it simple enough to fill in when your hands are stiff.

Useful entries, each with the date:

- How long the morning stiffness lasted. The threshold that matters in the service material is longer than half an hour, so a rough count of minutes is enough.

- Whether the joint woke you at night or hurt while you were resting. Pain at rest is one of the features that distinguishes an inflamed joint from simple wear.

- Swelling, redness and warmth. A photo in daylight, taken from the same distance each time, often says more than a paragraph.

- Which joint was affected, and whether it was one side or both.

- Every painkiller or other medicine you took, and how long it helped. The service material notes that painkillers alone only help for a short time, so the length of relief is informative.

- Fever, a cold, flu, or any skin inflammation over the joint. These are temporary reasons to postpone treatment, so the doctor needs to know about them.

Add one line about the weather if you suspect it matters, for example "cold and damp, ground frost" or "dry and warm". Keep it brief. A line of ten words a day for a month is more useful than a long entry written once.

Constanta's seasons offer natural markers. January and February bring the lowest temperatures and the most snow. Sunshine totals 2,314 hours a year, but December receives only 86 hours against 331 in July. If your joints are worse in the darkest weeks, say so, and note whether your daily activity also drops in that period. Less walking can by itself change how stiff a knee feels, and the doctor will want to separate the two effects.

What to have ready before the doctor reviews your case

The coordinators answer on WhatsApp and Telegram round the clock, and the first step is a free online consultation with a review of your scans. Sending material in advance saves time, because the doctor can look at it before speaking with you.

Prepare these items:

- X-ray, MRI or ultrasound images of the affected joint, as image files and not only the written report. If you only have the report, send that too.

- Recent blood test results that your rheumatologist or family doctor ordered, particularly if they relate to inflammation or to a diagnosed autoimmune condition.

- The name of your diagnosis if you have one (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout), and the date it was made.

- A list of what you take now, so the doctor can see how this plan fits alongside your rheumatologist's care. The service material is clear that PRP and SVF work alongside a systemic disease's treatment and do not replace it.

- Your flare log and a few dated photos of the joint.

- Any history of cancer, a clotting disorder, pregnancy or a recent infection. These are on the list of reasons the procedure is not done, or is postponed.

The doctor first confirms what type of arthritis you have 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. For that reason your log should say clearly whether you are in a flare right now or in a quieter spell.

Insurance, specialist access and what to ask your insurer

Romania's social health insurance is managed by CNAS, the national health insurance authority, which administers a basic package of medical services, medicines, sanitary materials and medical devices. Free procedures inside the system require a health card showing that insurance has been paid. EU citizens and uninsured Romanians receive free emergency care.

Two details matter if you are weighing private care alongside the public route. Since April 2019, insured people may pay the difference between a private provider's tariffs and the fund's own fees. Over the same period CNAS has begun introducing co-payments for certain services that are not strictly medically necessary. The system is described as centred on hospitals, with a shortage of healthcare workers. In practical terms, getting a rheumatology appointment through the public route can take planning, and a family doctor's referral is usually the first step.

The sources we have say nothing about whether the national fund covers PRP or SVF injections, so do not assume it does. Ask your insurer or your family doctor directly, and ask in writing if you can. The online consultation does not replace your rheumatologist. It gives you an independent second look at your scans and an explanation of whether regenerative injections could be one part of your plan. The cost of any injection depends on the joint, the method and the type of arthritis, and the doctor gives it after the consultation.

Out-of-pocket spending in Romania has been reported at about 21% of total health expenditure, compared with an EU average of 15%. These figures are dated, but they explain why many people compare options carefully before committing to a treatment.

Planning around the calendar and a long follow-up

Treatment day is only one day. The service material says the whole procedure is done in one day, with no crutches and no hospital stay, but the response is followed over months. In the first week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases, 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. No one can promise a fixed result.

That timeline is worth laying over the local calendar. Romania has 15 non-working days. They include 1-2 January, 24 January, the Orthodox Easter weekend from Friday to Monday (Easter Sunday falls on 2 May 2027), 1 May, 1 June, Pentecost Sunday and Monday, 15 August, 30 November, 1 December, and 25-26 December. A public rheumatology or laboratory appointment is harder to arrange around these dates, so book blood tests and scans early if a holiday falls near your planned procedure. Coordinators are reachable round the clock, so questions in the weeks after the procedure do not have to wait for an office to reopen.

The beach season in Mamaia runs from mid-June to early September. If you are active on the coast in summer, or work in the port, tell the doctor how much load your joints carry. High load from sport or physical work is one of the reasons treatment may suit you, and it also affects how you plan the weeks afterwards. Constanta has a lively sporting scene, with football in Liga I, rugby and handball. If you play, describe the sport, how many sessions a week you manage and which movements provoke pain.

Questions people in Constanta ask before they start

Ovidius University in Constanta has a faculty of medicine and a faculty of pharmacy, and the city has plenty of medical education behind it. That makes it natural to want a second opinion before you commit to anything. The free review of scans is meant for this purpose, and you are under no obligation to book a procedure afterwards.

Before the conversation, write down what you most want to know. Common concerns are whether your type of arthritis is one where injections are considered, whether you are in a flare, how your current medicine fits, and which signs mean the treatment should be postponed. The doctor will answer honestly, including when another option is the better one. For example, if a joint is already badly damaged, the doctor may say that replacement is the more realistic choice after seeing your scans.

Does Constanta's damp winter mean I should wait until summer for a consultation?

There is no need to wait for a particular season. The consultation and the scan review are done online and can happen at any time. What matters is whether you are in an acute flare, because the doctor does not treat during a severe flare or an active joint infection. If you are in a flare now, the doctor will discuss timing with you. The climate figures for Constanta, with 88% humidity in December and 76% in July, describe the setting. They are not a rule for when treatment should start.

Is it worth noting the weather in my symptom log?

Yes, in a few words. Write whether it was cold and damp, dry and warm, or windy, next to your stiffness and pain entries. After a month or two, you and the doctor can see whether a pattern exists. If none appears, that is also useful information. The log supports the doctor's judgment but does not replace the examination of your scans.

Can I use my CNAS health insurance for this treatment?

The facts we have do not say whether CNAS covers PRP or SVF injections, so we cannot promise it. In Romania, free procedures require a health card showing paid insurance, and insured people may pay the difference between private tariffs and the fund's fees. Ask your insurer or family doctor directly about this specific treatment. The online consultation itself and the scan review are free.

I already see a rheumatologist. Will this interfere with my care?

It is meant to sit alongside it. PRP and SVF are described as supporting the joint and helping to reduce inflammation and pain, always alongside a rheumatologist's care for a systemic disease and never instead of it. Rheumatoid arthritis is treated by a rheumatologist, and the injections do not cure it. Bring the name of your diagnosis and your list of medicines to the conversation.

Which images and papers should I photograph or scan first?

Start with the X-ray, MRI or ultrasound images of the affected joint, plus any written report. Then add recent blood tests and the flare log. If you cannot find the images, send the report. The coordinator will tell you what else is needed. Send everything on WhatsApp or Telegram, whichever is easier for you.

Can public holidays slow down my preparation?

They can slow down appointments and laboratory work in the public system. Romania has 15 non-working days, including the Orthodox Easter weekend (Easter Sunday is 2 May 2027), 1 May, 15 August, 1 December and the Christmas days. Arrange scans and blood tests before a holiday period if you can. Coordinators answer round the clock, so questions about preparation do not have to wait.

I am active in sport or work physically. Should I mention it?

Yes. High load on the joints is listed among the situations where this treatment may suit you, and the doctor needs to know how much strain your joints carry. Describe the sport or the work, how often you do it and which movements hurt. Also say if you had a recent sprain or an old injury, because past injury is one of the causes of an inflamed joint.