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Joint Treatment in Leicester: Methods and Steps

For the knee, hip, shoulder and other joints: PRP and cell therapy (SVF). Your scans are reviewed free before you commit

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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?

Regenerative joint treatment uses material from your own body — platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from blood and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from a small sample of adipose tissue. It is injected into the affected joint to reduce pain and inflammation and to support the tissues inside it.

  • 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 decision on whether the treatment suits you is made by a doctor, after an examination and a look at 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: having a fever, a cold or flu, or 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

First comes an examination: the doctor checks the joint and your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound images and decides whether the procedure fits. If you have scans already, send them in advance.

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

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

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

The doctor injects the prepared material directly into the affected joint, using ultrasound to place it precisely.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No hospital stay and no crutches. After the procedure the doctor keeps in touch and follows 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

Only your own blood and adipose tissue are used — no donor or synthetic material

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

The stromal vascular fraction (SVF) — a combination of cells involved in tissue repair — is isolated by processing a small sample of your adipose tissue. It is combined with your plasma and injected into the joint that needs treatment.

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

This option is usually picked for more advanced changes in the joint, when the goal is an effect that lasts longer.

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

Your blood, in a small amount, is used to separate plasma rich in platelets and growth factors. This plasma is injected into the joint to help calm inflammation and support tissue repair.

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

A course of injections can be done with it alone, or it can be paired 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

  • KneeKneePain on stairs and after walking, meniscus problems, cartilage wear
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain as the arm goes up, wear of the joint and adjacent tendons
  • ElbowElbowAching after strain from sport or overuse, joint surface wear
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsStiffness and pain in the small joints of the hand and wrist
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

No surgery: our work is about keeping your own joint, not swapping it for an implant

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Only your own blood and adipose tissue are used — no donor or synthetic material

No crutches

No crutches

Small punctures in place of incisions, local anaesthetic, no long recovery programme

Second opinion

Second opinion

A doctor gives a free, independent assessment of the X-rays, MRI or reports you send us

Support after the procedure

Support after the procedure

Beyond the day of the injection, we keep in touch after the procedure and follow your 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

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Request a free call

Price

Joint treatment prices

The cost depends on the joint, the stage of the condition 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

What Leicester residents ask about joint treatment

Knee problems are the most familiar reason to seek help: cartilage wear, meniscus damage, pain on stairs and after walking. Patients from Leicester with hip, shoulder, ankle, elbow or wrist pain follow the same path — scan review, examination and a clear plan.

The procedure in Leicester takes one day. Blood is taken from a vein for PRP, a small portion of adipose tissue is taken under local anaesthetic without stitches, the material is spun in a centrifuge, and the prepared mix is injected precisely into the affected joint.

The cost of joint treatment depends on the joint, the stage of the condition and the method, so the price is set at the consultation. The initial consultation and review of your scans are free for patients from Leicester. Leave your name and phone number, and a coordinator will contact you.

Joints in a river-valley city: where the load comes from

Leicester is a compact city. About 383,116 people live within 73 km², which works out at 5,224 people per km², and the wider urban area holds 559,017. The city lies on the River Soar, roughly 140 km north-northwest of London. It is the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands. That density shapes how people move: shorter trips, a good deal of walking, steps at entrances and bus stops, and plenty of time spent standing at work.

The Grand Union Canal and the River Soar Navigation meet here and connect the city with the River Trent to the north. The eastern end of the National Forest is also close by. Towpaths and woodland routes are flat compared with many places, but they add up to long, repetitive distances, and a knee or hip that is slightly worn may begin to complain only after the second or third kilometre. The service description lists this pattern among its typical complaints: pain climbing stairs or after walking, cartilage wear, trouble with the meniscus. If that sounds familiar, the pain may be something more than ordinary tiredness.

Leicester also takes sport seriously. It is home to Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers, Leicester Riders basketball and Leicestershire County Cricket Club. It was named European City of Sport in 2008 and UK's Greatest Sporting City in 2016. Leicestershire is crossed by National Cycle Network Route 6, the city has a bike park, and an e-bike share scheme ran from 2021 to 2023. For a joint, a lot of enthusiastic amateur sport means repeated twisting, jumping and pedalling. The treatment described here is meant for people with a high load on their joints, whether from sport or physical work. It is also meant for recovery after injuries and operations, and for early or moderate arthrosis or arthritis.

The treatment works like this. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is prepared from your own blood. The stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is isolated from a small sample of your adipose tissue. The material is injected into the affected joint under ultrasound guidance. It is used to reduce pain and inflammation and to support the tissues inside the joint. It is an injection instead of an operation, and only your own tissue is used.

The joints that can be treated are the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, the small joints of the hand and wrist, and the ankle. After checking your scans, the doctor settles which joint, which method and how many injections.

Cold, damp and the calendar of a maritime climate

Leicester has a maritime climate, with rain spread through the year and low sunshine. The figures here come from the Newtown Linford station, about 5 miles north-west of the centre, using 1971-2000 normals. January is the coldest month, with a mean maximum of 6.7 °C and a mean minimum of 0.5 °C. July is the warmest, at 21.6 °C by day and 10.8 °C at night. The annual mean is 9.4 °C.

Annual precipitation is 684.4 mm over 120.8 days. December is the wettest month, at 68.8 mm over 11.7 days, followed by January at 61.7 mm. July is the driest, at 46.1 mm over 7.8 days. In other words, roughly one day in three has some rain, and a stretch of wet, cool weather from December to January is normal.

The medical material for this treatment makes no claim that weather causes arthritis or arthrosis, and we do not make one either. Some people do say their joints feel different on cold or wet days. A practical approach is to keep a short diary for two or three weeks. Note the joint, the time of day, how long morning stiffness lasts and what you were doing. The text distinguishes two patterns. Arthritis is inflammation, with pain at rest and at night, morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, and swelling, redness and warmth over the joint. Osteoarthritis is gradual wear of cartilage, with aching on movement, crunching and stiffness after rest. A diary of this kind helps the doctor see which pattern you have, and the diagnosis comes first because the approach to treatment differs.

Summer heat is rare but not absent. The average annual maximum is 28.7 °C, and about 11.3 days a year reach 25.1 °C or more. The highest recorded values were 34.5 °C at Newtown Linford in August 1990 and 35.1 °C at Leicester University in August 2003. Timing matters mainly for practical reasons. After the procedure the joint may ache a little more for about 1 week, which is an expected reaction. The doctor also gives load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks. Plan the procedure at a time when you do not have a heavy sporting fixture, a house move or a long shift pattern in that first week.

Some conditions are temporary reasons to wait. These are skin inflammation over the joint to be treated, a fever, a cold or flu. In a damp, cool winter, colds are common, so it makes sense to tell the coordinator about any symptoms before a date is fixed.

Joint wear, age and weight: what the national figures say

Arthritis UK reports, in the 2026 edition of its State of Musculoskeletal Health report, that over 10 million adults, young people and children in the UK live with arthritis. The NHS describes osteoarthritis as the most common type of arthritis in the UK. The risk rises with age and is higher in women than in men. It is also higher in people with obesity or a joint injury. A GP may suspect osteoarthritis in a person aged 45 or older.

Weight is relevant because it is one of the factors the doctor weighs when judging how long an effect may last. The service description says that how long the effect lasts depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors. The Health Survey for England 2022, published by NHS Digital, found 29% of adults living with obesity and 64% overweight or living with obesity. By region, obesity ranged from 39% in the North East to 21% in London. These are national and regional figures, not Leicester figures, so they should not be read as describing the city itself. But they show that joint load from body weight is a common issue across England, and it is a topic the doctor will discuss frankly and without judgement.

Many people with joint pain have already had an injury: a sprain, a meniscus tear, an old fracture. The ankle section of the treatment description mentions pain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries, and the elbow section mentions aching after strain from sport or overuse. Past injuries matter because they are one of the recognised risk factors named by the NHS.

Not every joint problem is osteoarthritis. The list of conditions covers arthritis, arthrosis, avascular necrosis, coxarthrosis (hip osteoarthritis), gonarthrosis (knee osteoarthritis), meniscus pathology and injury, inflammatory joint conditions, and rehabilitation after injuries and surgery. For avascular necrosis of the hip, SVF therapy may be considered at early stages (1–2) to support blood supply to the femoral head and delay the need for joint replacement. At later stages surgery is usually required. That candid distinction runs through the whole approach: injections are for earlier stages, and the chance of a lasting effect is higher the earlier the condition is caught.

Joint care in the national system, and where an online consultation fits

The NHS says that hip replacement may be considered when hip pain and stiffness have a big effect on life and other treatments have not worked. It names osteoarthritis as the main cause, with rheumatoid arthritis and hip injury also mentioned. For rheumatoid arthritis, the NHS states plainly that there is no cure. Treatment is long-term medicine to relieve symptoms and slow progress, together with physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and surgery can fix joint problems that develop.

The NHS also publishes waiting-time figures. According to the NHS England statistical press notice of 10 September 2026, the number of referral-to-treatment pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of July 2026 was 7.3 million, relating to around 6.2 million unique patients. Of these, 111,379 had waited more than 52 weeks. These figures cover all specialities, not only orthopaedics. We quote them only to explain why some people look for a second view while they wait. We do not suggest that this treatment replaces NHS care, a GP or a rheumatology appointment.

Here is how the consultation can complement what you already have. You message a coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram at any time of day, and the coordinator asks for your scans: X-ray, MRI, CT, ultrasound or medical reports. The doctor assesses them independently at no charge, and you hear whether the procedure could suit you and what else may be needed. If an NHS appointment gave you an X-ray or MRI report, you can send it as it is. The doctor will tell you honestly if the joint is already badly damaged. In hip osteoarthritis, for example, replacement may then be the more realistic option, and that is a useful answer to have too.

Funding is a separate question. We do not state any amounts here, and the cost depends on the joint, the stage of the condition and the method, so the doctor confirms it after the consultation. If you hold private health insurance, ask your insurer whether it reimburses regenerative injections, and ask the coordinator for any documents the insurer needs.

Preparing for the consultation and the procedure day

Start with the scans. Gather any X-ray, MRI or ultrasound images and written reports, even if they are a few years old, and send them before the consultation. At the consultation the joint is examined and the scans are reviewed to decide whether the procedure suits you. Prepare a short list of medicines you take and any past illnesses. The doctor needs this because some conditions rule the procedure out: cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections including infection in or near the joint, and a flare-up of a serious chronic illness.

Think about timing around the national calendar. England and Wales have eight bank holidays in 2026, and the last two are Christmas Day on 25 December and the substituted Boxing Day on 28 December. If you plan to ask your GP or a hospital department for copies of scans near those dates, ask early. Our coordinators answer round the clock, including on bank holidays, but external records may take longer to arrive.

Leicester's year is also busy with events: the Caribbean Carnival and parade, Diwali celebrations, the Leicester Comedy Festival, Leicester Pride, and the International Short Film Festival, usually in early November. If you are on your feet for hours at one of these, or work at one, think about the week after the procedure. For about 1 week the joint may ache a little more, and then in about 1 month the pain usually eases. Mobility and activity improve at about 3 months, and the full effect develops at about 6 months. These timings are averaged and given for guidance, and no one can promise a fixed result.

Here is what happens on the procedure day. If you have SVF, a small amount of blood is taken from a vein, and under local anaesthetic the doctor takes roughly 30 ml of adipose tissue through a small puncture in the abdomen or inner thigh. No stitches are needed. The samples are spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and mixed with platelet-rich plasma, and the material goes into the joint under ultrasound guidance. The whole procedure is done in one day, with no hospital stay and no crutches. PRP alone needs only the blood sample. After the procedure the coordinator and doctor stay in touch and follow how your joint responds.

Students and staff at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University, like anyone with a busy timetable, can note that normal life usually resumes within a day or two. Even so, follow the load recommendations for the first weeks.

Do cold, wet winters in Leicester mean I should delay treatment until spring?

Not necessarily. The coldest month is January, with a mean maximum of 6.7 °C and a mean minimum of 0.5 °C, and December and January are the wettest months. The treatment itself is an injection with no hospital stay, so the weather does not block it. What matters is that you are well on the day: a fever, a cold or flu, or skin inflammation over the joint are temporary reasons to wait. Tell the coordinator about any symptoms and a date will be arranged once you have recovered.

Can I send scans that I already have from a GP or a hospital appointment?

Yes. X-rays, MRI, CT, ultrasound images and medical reports can be sent to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram. The doctor reviews them independently at no charge and tells you whether the procedure could suit you and what else may be needed. You can send existing scans before the consultation so that the time is used on your joint and your questions.

Is this treatment an alternative to waiting for NHS joint replacement?

It is not a replacement for NHS care or for your GP. National figures show a large number of people waiting to start treatment, with 7.3 million pathways at the end of July 2026, but these figures cover all specialities. For early or moderate changes, injections may help to postpone or avoid replacement. For a joint that is already badly damaged, replacement may be the more realistic option, and the doctor will say so honestly after seeing your scans.

Does body weight affect whether the injections will help?

It can. The doctor says that how long the effect lasts depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors. The NHS also names obesity as one factor that raises the risk of osteoarthritis. The doctor will discuss this directly at the consultation, together with load and exercise recommendations, and it does not by itself rule you out.

I walk and cycle a lot around the city. Which signs suggest it is worth sending my scans?

Pain, crunching or stiffness in a joint, painkillers that help only for a short time, and pain climbing stairs or after walking are typical reasons. For arthritis, other signs are pain at rest and at night, morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, and swelling, redness and warmth over the joint. None of these confirms a diagnosis. They are a reason to send your scans so that the doctor can judge the stage.

How should I plan the week after the procedure if I have a busy sporting or working schedule?

Expect the joint to ache a little more for about 1 week, which is a normal reaction. The pain usually eases in about 1 month, and mobility and activity improve at about 3 months. You can return to normal life within a day or two and you will not need crutches. The doctor gives load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks, so avoid scheduling a competition or a heavy physical task in that period.

Will an insurer or the NHS pay for PRP or SVF?

The NHS pages we consulted on hip replacement and osteoarthritis do not describe regenerative injections, so we cannot say that the NHS covers them. For private insurance, policies differ, so ask your insurer directly whether it reimburses this type of procedure. The coordinator can provide the documents the insurer asks for. The doctor states the cost after the consultation, because it depends on the joint, the stage of the condition and the method.

Can I arrange a consultation near the end of December 2026?

Yes. Coordinators answer on WhatsApp and Telegram round the clock, including on bank holidays. The national calendar for England and Wales has Christmas Day on 25 December and the substituted Boxing Day on 28 December 2026. External records, such as scan copies requested from other services, may take longer around those dates, so ask for them earlier.