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Non-Surgical Joint Treatment in Alicante

Knee, hip, shoulder or another joint — SVF cell therapy and PRP, starting with a free assessment of your scans

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 regenerative
joint treatment?

Material from your own body is at the heart of regenerative joint treatment — PRP, a platelet-rich plasma derived from blood, and SVF, the stromal vascular fraction derived from a small sample of adipose tissue. Placed into the affected joint by injection, it reduces pain and inflammation and supports the joint's tissues.

  • 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 decides whether the treatment suits you after examining you and reviewing your scans

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, a cold or flu, inflamed skin over the joint 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

Before anything else, the doctor examines the joint and goes through your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound to see if the procedure is suitable. Scans can be sent to us ahead of time.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

All it takes is a little venous blood; later on it becomes platelet-rich plasma containing growth factors.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

A puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh, made under local anaesthetic, is used to take a small portion of adipose tissue, about 30 ml. No stitches follow.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

After centrifuging, the sample forms separate layers; the stromal vascular fraction is taken from them and combined with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Under ultrasound guidance, the ready material goes directly into the affected joint, so it can be placed accurately.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No stay in hospital and no crutches are needed. The doctor stays in touch after the procedure to see 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

A little of your adipose tissue is processed to isolate SVF — the stromal vascular fraction, which contains cells involved in repairing tissue. It is then combined with your own plasma and injected into the joint.

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

More marked changes in the joint and the wish for a longer-lasting effect are the usual reasons to choose it.

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

Plasma rich in platelets and growth factors is separated from a small amount of your blood and injected into the joint. It helps calm inflammation and creates better conditions for tissue repair.

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

It may be given alone as a course of injections or combined with SVF.

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

Small joints and large ones alike — your scans guide the doctor's choice of joint, method and number of injections

  • KneeKneeCartilage wear, meniscus issues, pain after walking and on stairs
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderWorn joint and surrounding tendons, pain when lifting the arm
  • ElbowElbowPain from overuse or sports strain, 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

We try to preserve the joint you have rather than replace it, using 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

Done through punctures instead of incisions, under local anaesthetic, without long rehabilitation

Second opinion

Second opinion

Send any X-rays, MRI or reports and receive an independent assessment from a doctor for free

Support after the procedure

Support after the procedure

We keep following the result and stay in touch after the procedure, not only on 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

Joint treatment prices

Cost varies with the joint, the stage of the condition and the method; 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

Joint treatment in Alicante: methods, steps and price

Regenerative joint treatment uses material from your own body: platelet-rich plasma from blood and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from a small sample of adipose tissue. For patients from Alicante, it is an option to ease pain and inflammation and support the tissues inside the joint without an operation.

PRP can be given as a course of injections or together with SVF. The number of injections and the method are chosen individually for each patient from Alicante after the examination and scan review.

Do not put off joint pain for years. Book a free consultation in Alicante: the doctor reviews your scans, assesses the stage and suggests a non-surgical plan if it is appropriate. The price is set at the consultation.

Flat ground, short hills and what they ask of the knee

Alicante sits at an altitude of 3 m on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the peninsula, and the terrain is mostly level. The city has no permanent river, only seasonal dry channels called ramblas. For someone with an aching knee or hip, this means that a daily walk by the sea is often manageable, while the few rises are where symptoms show first. The reliefs inside the municipality are Benacantil, the Serra Grossa, the Tossal and Cabo de la Huerta. Climbing a slope or taking stairs to a flat is, in practice, the test many people notice first.

The municipality covers 201.27 km2, and its beaches include San Juan, Postiguet, La Almadraba, Albufereta, Agua Amarga and El Saladar. Long beach promenades invite walking, and walking on a flat surface is usually kinder to a joint than slopes. Still, pain on stairs, after a long walk, or when getting out of a chair deserves attention, because it tells the doctor something about the stage of the condition.

The treatment described in this text uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from your blood and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from a small sample of your adipose tissue. The material is injected into the affected joint under ultrasound guidance. It is meant to help reduce pain and inflammation and to support the tissues inside the joint. The doctor decides after reviewing your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound whether it suits you at all.

For knee problems the typical complaints are pain climbing stairs or after walking, cartilage wear and meniscus trouble. For the hip, they are early osteoarthritis, groin pain and limited rotation. If these sound familiar, the first practical step is to send your existing scans to the coordinator, who can pass them to the doctor before any decision is made.

Warm air, sea water and joints that stiffen

Alicante has a hot semi-arid climate. January is the coldest month, with an average maximum of 17.2 °C and a minimum of 6.7 °C. August and July are the warmest, with maximums of 31.1 and 30.7 °C and minimums of 21.8 and 21.3 °C. The record is 42.0 °C, on 13 August 2022. Average humidity is 65 %, and the city receives 3,014 hours of sun a year, from 345 hours in July to 175 in December.

A winter day at 6.7 °C at night is mild compared with many places, yet people with osteoarthritis often describe stiffness after rest. The texts on arthritis and osteoarthritis help to separate two different things. Osteoarthritis is gradual wear of the cartilage, with aching pain on movement, crunching and stiffness after rest. Arthritis is inflammation: pain at rest and at night, morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, swelling, redness and warmth over the joint. If your pain wakes you at night, mention this first, because the approach to treatment differs and the diagnosis comes first.

Rain is scarce: 284.5 mm a year over 34.7 days, with September (51.1 mm) and October (33.1 mm) the wettest months and July the driest at 3.2 mm. Wet autumn days may be a good moment to send scans and arrange an online consultation rather than to postpone the question.

The sea is also part of the picture. Its temperature averages 19.6 °C over the year, with a minimum of 14 °C in February and March and a maximum of 26 °C in August. Swimming and walking in water are gentle ways of moving, and after the procedure the doctor gives load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks, so ask whether and when to return to the water.

What national figures say about arthrosis and weight

The 2020 European Health Survey of Spain's national statistics institute (INE) reports that arthrosis is the third most common diagnosed chronic problem among people aged 15 and over, at 14.4 %. It follows high blood pressure (19.0 %) and high cholesterol (15.3 %). Low back pain stands at 13.7 %. So joint wear is not a rare complaint but one of the most frequent in the country.

The same survey finds obesity in 16.0 % of adults (16.5 % of men, 15.5 % of women) and overweight in 37.6 %, so 53.6 % are above the weight considered normal. This matters for joints, because body weight is one of the factors that, according to the treatment description, affects how long an effect lasts. Together with the stage of the condition and activity, it shapes the outcome, and no one can promise a fixed result.

Practically, the doctor will ask about your weight, your work and your sport. High load on the joints, whether from sport or physical work, is listed among the situations where treatment may be considered. Early or moderate arthrosis or arthritis is the stage where chances of a lasting effect are higher.

Waiting lists in the public system and a second opinion

Public figures show why many people look for an additional opinion. At the end of 2025, the national health system had 853.509 patients on its surgical waiting list in the initial publication, with an average wait of 121 days; 21.6 % waited more than six months. A later note corrected the data for Castilla-La Mancha. For hip prostheses the average wait was 98 days, with 13.7 % beyond the maximum period of 180 days. For knee prostheses it was 105 days and 15.9 %.

Outpatient consultations also queue. 84.42 of every 1,000 people were waiting for a first specialist consultation, the average wait was 102 days, and Traumatology had the longest wait for a consultation, at 132 days. In the Comunitat Valenciana there were 51,600 patients on the structural surgical waiting list (9.91 per 1,000 inhabitants, among the lowest rates in the system), with an average wait of 88 days. Traumatology there had 12,746 patients and an average of 99 days.

These are public statistics, not a judgement on any individual's care. Their practical meaning is simple: while you wait for a consultation or an operation, you can have your X-rays, MRI or reports reviewed by a doctor free of charge, online. You will hear whether the procedure could suit you and what else may be needed. The doctor will also tell you honestly if the joint is already badly damaged and replacement may be the more realistic option.

Deciding calmly: the steps and what to prepare

The procedure runs in stages. First comes the consultation and scan review. Then a small blood sample is taken from a vein. Under local anaesthetic, the doctor takes roughly 30 ml of adipose tissue through a small puncture in the abdomen or inner thigh, with no stitches. The sample is spun in a centrifuge, and the stromal vascular fraction is mixed with platelet-rich plasma. The material is then injected into the joint under ultrasound. There is no hospital stay and no crutches, and the doctor keeps in touch afterwards.

The usual timeline is as follows. After one week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases, after about three months mobility and activity improve, and after about six months the full effect develops. Return to normal life is normally within a day or two.

Some conditions rule it out: cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections including infection in or near the joint, and a flare-up of a serious chronic illness. Temporary reasons to wait include skin inflammation over the joint, a fever, a cold or flu. A hot summer with its infections and skin problems can matter here, so tell the coordinator about any recent illness.

Prepare your scans, a list of medicines you take, and a note of when the pain appears. Coordinators reply round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram.

Does the warm climate of Alicante change how I should plan the treatment?

The treatment itself is the same in any climate. What matters is that no skin inflammation is present over the joint, and that you have no fever, cold or flu on the day, since these are temporary reasons to postpone. In the hot months, with maximums around 31 °C in July and August, tell the coordinator about any skin problems or illness so the date can be chosen sensibly. The doctor will give load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks.

Is arthrosis really that common in Spain?

According to the 2020 European Health Survey of the national statistics institute, arthrosis is the third most frequently diagnosed chronic problem among people aged 15 and over, at 14.4 %. Only high blood pressure (19.0 %) and high cholesterol (15.3 %) are more common. Back pain affects 13.7 %. The figures describe the population, not you, so your own scans decide what is suitable.

Can I get a review of my scans while I am on a public waiting list?

Yes. Send your X-rays, MRI, CT or medical reports to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram, and a doctor will review them free of charge. You will hear whether the procedure could suit you and what else may be needed. This does not oblige you to book anything, and it does not replace the public pathway.

How long are the public waits for joint care at present?

At the end of 2025 the national average for a hip prosthesis was 98 days and for a knee prosthesis 105 days, with 13.7 % and 15.9 % respectively beyond the 180-day maximum. Traumatology had the longest wait for a first consultation, at 132 days. In the Comunitat Valenciana the average surgical wait was 88 days. These are averages, and individual cases differ.

Does body weight affect the result?

Yes, it is one of the factors named alongside the stage of the condition and your activity. In Spain 53.6 % of adults are above normal weight according to the 2020 survey. The doctor will take your weight into account when planning, and no one can promise a fixed result.

Which scans should I prepare before writing to the coordinator?

An X-ray, MRI or ultrasound of the painful joint is ideal, and reports are useful too. If you have none, say so, and the coordinator will explain what the doctor will need. Also note when the pain appears, for instance on stairs, at night or after rest, and which painkillers you take and how long they help.

Can I swim in the sea after the injection?

The material is injected through a puncture, and the adipose tissue is taken through a small puncture without stitches. Whether and when to return to swimming is a question for the doctor, who gives load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks. Ask this at the consultation so the advice fits your joint.