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Arthritis Treatment in Florence with PRP and SVF

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?

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

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 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

Whether the procedure suits you is decided once the doctor has examined your joint and reviewed your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound. If scans already exist, you can send them before visiting.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

Blood is taken from a vein in a small amount, later to be turned into platelet-rich plasma with growth factors.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

Through a puncture on the inner thigh or abdomen, and under local anaesthetic, about 30 ml of adipose tissue is taken. Stitches are not needed.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

The sample goes into a centrifuge and separates into layers; next, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and combined with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Under ultrasound guidance, which helps with precise placement, the prepared material is injected straight into the affected joint.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No hospital stay and no crutches. Once the procedure is done, the doctor remains in touch and tracks how your 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

No donor material and nothing synthetic: just your own blood and adipose tissue

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

The stromal vascular fraction (SVF) — a blend of cells involved in repairing tissue — is isolated by processing a small sample of your adipose tissue. Mixed with your own plasma, it goes into the affected joint by injection.

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

It is used in inflammatory arthritis — once the acute flare is over — for its influence on local inflammation and the repair of tissue.

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

From a small amount of your blood, plasma rich in growth factors and platelets is separated and injected into the joint. It helps to calm inflammation and creates better conditions for repairing tissue.

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

It may be advised for rheumatoid or other inflammatory arthritis, always as just one part 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

After going through your scans, the doctor selects the joint, the method and the number of injections — whether the joint is large or small

  • KneeKneePain after walking and on stairs, meniscus problems and cartilage wear
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderWorn joint and nearby tendons, and pain when the arm is raised
  • ElbowElbowWear on the joint surfaces and pain after overuse or sports strain
  • 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

Preserving your own joint, not replacing it, is the goal of our treatment without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

No donor material and nothing synthetic: just your own blood and adipose tissue

No crutches

No crutches

No long rehabilitation — just punctures instead of incisions and local anaesthetic

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

You learn the cost from the doctor after the consultation, as it depends on the joint, the method and the type of arthritis

FAQ

Joint treatment: frequently asked questions

About the conditions

More about these conditions

Other services of our clinic

About arthritis treatment for patients from Florence

We work with inflammatory joint conditions of the knee, hand and wrist, shoulder, elbow, hip and ankle. Patients from Florence can send their test results and scans for a free review.

Most patients in Florence go home the same day and return to normal daily activity within a day or two. During the first week the joint may ache a little more — this is an expected reaction.

How much does arthritis treatment cost in Florence? The doctor names the price after confirming the type of arthritis and choosing PRP, SVF or a combination. Send a request or message us in any messenger.

Humid winters and a stiff joint: what the Florence climate record shows

Florence sits at an elevation of 50 m in a basin on the Arno, ringed by the hills of Careggi, Fiesole, Settignano, Arcetri, Poggio Imperiale and Bellosguardo. The long-term weather record for 1991-2020 shows what this means for the calendar. January has a mean high of 11.2 °C and a mean low of 2.1 °C. Relative humidity averages 71.5% in that month, against 66.7% over the whole year. Days with a minimum below freezing average about 28.5 a year.

For someone with an inflamed joint, this matters mainly as a framework for observation. Many people with arthritis say that damp, cold weeks feel different from dry, sunny ones. Whether that holds for you is a question for your own notes, not for a general rule. Inflammatory arthritis has its own rhythm, driven by the immune system, gout triggers, infections or an old injury. Weather can coincide with a flare without causing it.

The practical point for an online consultation is that the doctor needs dates, not impressions. "Worse in winter" tells little. "Right knee swollen on three mornings in the second week of January, stiffness lasting longer than half an hour each time" gives the doctor something to work with. Morning stiffness beyond 30 minutes, swelling, and a joint that is red and warm are the signs the doctor will ask about first.

Florence's winter is not harsh by the standards of the record's extremes, though the series includes -23.2 °C on 12 January 1985. Its main feature is the combination of cool temperatures and relatively high humidity. In summer the picture reverses: July brings a mean high of 32.3 °C and a mean low of 18.4 °C, with relative humidity down to 60.6%. A year contains 71 days on average with a maximum of at least 30 °C. Heat brings its own questions for a swollen joint, such as dehydration, disturbed sleep and reduced walking. These are also worth noting down.

Reading the seasons against your own joint notes

Florence's rainfall is uneven, and this helps if you want to compare periods. The city averages 788 mm of precipitation a year on 84.7 days with at least 1 mm. November is the wettest month at 115.3 mm, followed by October at 105.1 mm. July is the driest at 24.6 mm. If you have lived through several autumns with a joint that behaves differently from your summers, you already have a rough pattern. Your notes can sharpen it.

Sunshine follows the same curve. The year totals 2,246.3 hours, with 313.1 in July and only 93.0 in January. Shorter, greyer days often mean less outdoor walking, and reduced movement changes how a joint feels. The doctor will want to separate "the weather changed" from "I moved less because of the weather". Sometimes the second is the real driver. A stiff hip or knee can get worse after a few quiet weeks, and the answer may be a change in activity, not in the sky.

Here is a simple way to use the climate figures. Pick two or three markers: the damp months of October and November, the cold weeks of January, and the hot stretch of July and August. Next to each, write how many days the joint was noticeably swollen or stiff, and whether you had a flare, an infection or a change in medication. If you take medication prescribed by a rheumatologist, do not change it based on weather observations. Record it and bring it to the consultation.

The doctor will explain that PRP and SVF are used after an acute flare has calmed, never during a severe flare or an active joint infection. A seasonal pattern in your notes can help in choosing a quiet moment for the procedure. It is only one piece of information, and the final decision rests on the examination of your scans and a clinical assessment.

Keeping a flare log that is specific to your joint

A good log is short enough to keep up. Five lines a day is more useful than a page you abandon after a week. These are the items worth recording:

- Which joint hurt, and whether it was on the left, the right or both sides.

- How long the morning stiffness lasted. The 30-minute mark is the one the doctor looks for.

- Whether pain woke you at night or came at rest, since this points more towards inflammation than towards simple wear.

- Visible swelling, redness or warmth over the joint.

- Fever, a cold, a skin problem near the joint or a recent infection. These can postpone treatment, because a fever, a cold or flu, or any skin inflammation over the joint planned for treatment counts as a temporary contraindication.

- What you took for the pain and how long it helped. Painkillers that work only briefly are one reason people ask about other options.

Add one line a week about activity: long walks, work that loads the hands or knees, sport, or a quiet week. In Florence, certain dates tend to change routines, and noting them makes your log easier to interpret. Some people spend more time on their feet around Easter Sunday, when the Scoppio del Carro takes place in Piazza del Duomo and the cart is drawn from Porta al Prato. Others notice a change around the third week of June, when Calcio Fiorentino is played in Piazza Santa Croce, with two semi-finals and a final on 24 June, the feast of St John the Baptist and the city's patron-saint holiday. Whether any of this affects you is personal. The point is that your log should show what you actually did, so the doctor can tell a flare from a busy week.

If you have photographs of a swollen or red joint taken on a bad day, keep them. A picture from the worst morning often tells the doctor more than the same joint on the day of a video call, when it may look calmer. Put the dates on every image.

Gout, psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis can all look similar from the outside. The doctor first confirms what type of arthritis you have, and the log helps in that task. It does not replace blood tests or imaging, but it makes the conversation more precise.

How access to a specialist works under Italy's national system

Italy's Servizio Sanitario Nazionale was established in 1978 and gives universal coverage to citizens and residents. It runs on a regional basis, and the Ministry of Health sets the national Essential Levels of Care (LEA). For a person in Florence this means the Tuscany region organises most of the practical steps, from the referral to the appointment.

For inflammatory arthritis, the usual route begins with a general practitioner, who can refer you to a rheumatologist. Waiting times vary. According to published descriptions of the system, they are usually up to a few months in the big public facilities and usually up to a few weeks in private facilities contracted with the SSN. No official waiting-list figure was available, so treat these as general descriptions and not as a promise about any particular appointment.

Specialist visits carry a co-payment, known as a ticket. There are exemptions by age, income or chronic illness, so a person with a long-term inflammatory condition may qualify. Ask your general practitioner or the regional health office which exemption fits your case, since the rules are applied at regional level.

An online consultation with City Medical Centre does not replace this route. If you have a systemic disease such as rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, your rheumatologist remains the person who manages it. PRP and SVF are meant to work alongside that care, not instead of it. What the online consultation offers is a free second look at your scans and a discussion of whether regenerative injections suit your joint. It is useful when you are waiting for a public appointment, or when you want to understand your imaging before a decision.

Italy spends 9.7% of GDP on healthcare, according to 2020 figures, and life expectancy was 83.4 years in 2018. These are national numbers and say nothing about the speed of your own referral, but they explain why the public system is the usual starting point and why a private opinion is often an addition, not a substitute.

Preparing for an online consultation about arthritis

The consultation is free and takes place online. Coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, so you can send material at any hour. The coordinator will ask for your scans: X-ray, MRI or ultrasound. If you have them as image files or a link from the radiology department, send them as they are. A photo of a printed film is better than nothing, though the original files are clearer.

Gather these before the call:

- Imaging of the affected joint, with dates, and any written radiology reports.

- Recent blood test results, particularly those your rheumatologist ordered.

- A list of current medication, including anything you take only during flares.

- Your flare log from the last few weeks, and photographs of visible swelling.

- A short note on any previous joint injections, operations or injuries.

- Any history of cancer, clotting problems or recent infection, and, for women, whether you are or might be pregnant. These are contraindications, and the doctor needs to know them first.

On the call, the doctor will usually ask which joints are involved, how long the problem has lasted, and what has helped. Expect questions about stiffness, night pain and swelling. Then the doctor explains whether PRP, SVF or neither suits your case. If the joint is badly damaged, the honest answer may be that replacement is more realistic, and the doctor will say so after seeing the scans.

Students in Florence, who make up about 50,000 people connected to the University of Florence, often have irregular schedules around exams. If you are among them, choose a time for the call when you can sit calmly and share your screen. The same applies to anyone working shifts. Because the service is available round the clock, the call can be arranged around your timetable.

Timing, procedure and what to expect afterwards

If the doctor decides the treatment suits you, the procedure is done in one day. For PRP, a small amount of blood is taken from a vein. 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. The sample is spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and added to the platelet-rich plasma, and the material is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. There are no crutches and no hospital stay.

For inflammatory arthritis, the doctor applies SVF after the acute flare has calmed. PRP may be advised for rheumatoid or other inflammatory arthritis, always as one part of the overall plan. This is why your log matters: it shows when a flare started and when it settled.

The timeline after the procedure is averaged and given for guidance. After about one week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After one month the pain usually eases. Around three months, mobility and activity improve, and around six months the full effect develops. How long it lasts varies from person to person and depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors. Nobody can promise a fixed outcome.

Body weight is one of those factors. Italian national statistics for 2023 show that 46.3% of adults are overweight or obese, with obesity at 11.8%, and that 35% of people aged 3 and over are sedentary. These are national figures with no regional split, so they do not describe Florence specifically. They are a reminder that load on the joints and daily activity are part of the discussion, and the doctor may raise them without judgement.

After the procedure, the doctor keeps in touch and follows how the joint responds. Keep your log going. Entries from the first week, the first month and the third month make the follow-up conversation far more useful.

Does Florence's damp winter make arthritis worse?

There is no general rule. The city's 1991-2020 record shows January humidity of 71.5% and a mean January low of 2.1 °C, and some people with arthritis feel worse in such weeks. Others do not. The way to find out is to record swelling, stiffness and pain by date through a winter and a summer, then show the notes to the doctor during the consultation.

Which months should I compare in a flare log in Florence?

A useful comparison is October and November, the wettest months at 105.1 mm and 115.3 mm, against July, the driest at 24.6 mm. Add January for the cold and the short days, with only 93.0 hours of sunshine. For each period note how many days the joint was swollen or stiff for longer than 30 minutes, and what else changed, such as activity, infections or medication.

Can I use the online consultation while waiting for a public rheumatology appointment?

Yes. The consultation is free and does not replace your rheumatologist or the SSN pathway. Public waiting times are usually described as up to a few months in big facilities. During that period you can send your scans and have the doctor tell you whether PRP or SVF could suit your joint once any acute flare has settled. Do not stop or change prescribed medication on that basis.

Do chronic illness exemptions apply to the cost of specialist visits in Italy?

Co-payments for specialist visits have exemptions by age, income or chronic illness. Whether a long-term inflammatory condition qualifies depends on the regional rules, so ask your general practitioner or the regional health office. The online consultation with City Medical Centre is free, so this question concerns only your visits within the SSN.

What should I send before the call if my scans are on a disc from a Florence radiology department?

Ask the radiology department for digital copies, or photograph the written report alongside the images. The coordinator will ask for X-ray, MRI or ultrasound files, so the original images with dates are best. Add recent blood test results, your medication list and your flare log. Messages can be sent at any hour through WhatsApp or Telegram, since coordinators answer round the clock.

Does the summer heat in Florence affect when the procedure can be done?

The procedure itself is done in one day, and its timing depends on the state of your joint, not on the season. What matters is that no acute flare, fever, cold, flu, skin inflammation over the joint or joint infection is present. With an average of 71 days a year at 30 °C or above, it helps to note how heat affects your sleep, hydration and activity so the doctor can plan around your real routine.

Will holidays or local events delay my consultation?

Not for the online consultation, since coordinators answer 24/7 on WhatsApp and Telegram, including on Sundays and Italian national holidays such as Easter Monday, 25 April or 15 August. Your own public appointments may be affected by closures on those days, so check them when you plan follow-up visits.

Can a flare log really change the doctor's decision?

It can change the timing and the questions. The doctor does not treat during a severe flare or an active joint infection, and dated notes show when your joint was calm. The log does not replace imaging or blood tests, and the plan is confirmed only after the doctor reviews your scans.