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Joint Treatment for Patients from Lublin

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

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?

In regenerative joint therapy, two materials from your own body are used — platelet-rich plasma (PRP), taken from blood, and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), taken from a small adipose tissue sample. Once injected into the affected joint, they work to cut pain and inflammation and support the tissues there.

  • 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

The doctor examines the joint, reviews your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound and decides whether the procedure suits you. If you already have scans, you can send them before the visit.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

A small blood draw from a vein provides the material from which platelet-rich plasma with growth factors is later prepared.

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

Spinning the sample in a centrifuge separates it into layers, after which the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and added to the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Ultrasound guidance allows the prepared material to be injected precisely, directly into the affected joint.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

Neither a hospital stay nor crutches are required. The doctor stays in contact after the procedure and monitors 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

No donor or synthetic material: only your own blood and adipose tissue are used

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

It tends to be used when the joint is more visibly changed and a longer-lasting effect is being sought.

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

Used by itself as an injection course, or together 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

Large or small, each joint is assessed on your scans first — then the doctor chooses the method and how many injections are needed

  • KneeKneeMeniscus trouble, worn cartilage, pain when using stairs or after walking
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain on lifting the arm, wear of the joint and nearby tendons
  • ElbowElbowPain following overuse or sports strain, wear of 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

Our aim is to keep your own joint, not replace it — treatment without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

No donor or synthetic material: only your own blood and adipose tissue are used

No crutches

No crutches

No incisions — just punctures under local anaesthetic, with no 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 stay in touch after the procedure and follow the result, not just 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

Joint treatment prices

The cost is named by the doctor after the consultation, since it depends on the joint, the stage of the condition and the method

FAQ

Joint treatment: frequently asked questions

About the conditions

More about these conditions

Other services of our clinic

Choosing joint treatment without surgery in Lublin

The method relies on your own tissue only, so there is no donor or synthetic material. Plasma is prepared from a small blood sample, and SVF from about 30 ml of adipose tissue taken through a puncture. This is how non-surgical joint treatment works for everyone in Lublin.

Follow-up visits help the doctor see how the joint responds and adjust the plan. In Lublin, you receive recommendations on load and exercise for the first weeks, and the doctor stays in touch after the procedure.

How much does joint treatment cost in Lublin? The answer comes after the doctor has seen your scans and examined the joint: PRP, SVF or a combination are priced differently. The first consultation is free. Send a request or message us in any messenger.

Slopes, gorges and a 71-metre difference in height

Lublin sits on the Lublin Upland, and the Bystrzyca river splits the city into two quite different halves. The western side has varied relief and loess gorges, while the eastern side is flat. Heights run from 163.6 m at the lowest point to 235.0 m at the highest, a difference of about 71 metres. Most residents will never notice that number, but a knee or a hip does, because it shows up as a climb home with shopping bags or a descent on a steep path.

Knee pain is often first noticed on the way down or up. The joint descriptions for this treatment mention pain climbing stairs or after walking, cartilage wear and meniscus trouble. If you recognise that pattern, the terrain around you is not the cause, but it can make the symptoms easier to spot. Pain that appears on a particular slope, or stiffness after a long sit followed by a first few steps, is useful information for the doctor.

The same goes for the hip. Early osteoarthritis of the hip tends to show as groin pain and limited rotation. A person from the hillier western districts and a person from the flat east may describe it differently, because they climb different amounts. During the online consultation, the doctor will ask which movements hurt and when, and will connect those answers with your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound.

Regenerative treatment here means your own material. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) comes from a blood sample. The stromal vascular fraction (SVF) comes from a small sample of adipose tissue, roughly 30 ml, taken under local anaesthetic through a small puncture in the abdomen or inner thigh. After processing in a centrifuge, the material is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. The doctor decides which joint, which method and how many injections after checking your scans, so a photo or a PDF of your latest imaging from a Lublin hospital or imaging centre is the most useful thing to send first.

Humid winters, snow and stiff mornings

Lublin has a humid continental climate. Using the 1991-2020 normals, January has a mean maximum of -0.1 °C and a mean minimum of -4.9 °C. February runs from -4.2 °C to 1.6 °C, and December from -3.3 °C to 1.2 °C. The record low is -33.7 °C, set in January. Relative humidity averages 80.1% over the year and peaks at 89.5% in December and 89.0% in November. Snow falls on about 67.5 days a year, and December gets only 30.3 hours of sunshine.

Weather does not by itself explain why a joint wears out, and nothing here suggests that cold or damp causes arthrosis. What winter does change is behaviour. People walk less on icy pavements, stay seated longer and move in stiff, bulky clothing. In that setting the difference between two conditions becomes practical.

Osteoarthritis is gradual wear of the cartilage at the ends of the bones, with aching pain on movement, crunching and stiffness after rest. Arthritis is inflammation, with pain at rest and at night, swelling, redness and warmth over the joint, and morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes. A joint that is swollen, warm and aching at night on a December morning is not the same problem as a knee that crunches on stairs and stiffens after the evening sofa. The treatment approach differs, so the diagnosis comes first, and a free review of your scans is where that starts.

Summer is gentler. July has a mean maximum of 24.5 °C and a mean minimum of 13.6 °C, and June and July each bring about 263 hours of sun. Yet the same record tables show 38.0 °C in June and the wettest month is July, with 82.2 mm of rain. A season that suits a procedure is mostly a question of your calendar and your skin: temporary reasons to postpone include skin inflammation over the joint to be treated, a fever, a cold or flu. In a city with 166.9 days of precipitation a year, a winter cold is a realistic reason for a short delay, and the doctor will simply move the date.

Students, lakeside walks and the festival calendar

Students make up about 35% of the population of Lublin, and the Catholic University of Lublin (founded 1918) and Maria Curie-Sklodowska University are the main universities. The older estimate puts the number of students at about 70 thousand, with UMCS alone above 20 thousand. A city with that many young people sees sports injuries and the long-term consequences of old ones.

The treatment list includes recovery after injuries and surgery, meniscus pathology and injury, and ankle pain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries. An ankle that was twisted years ago during a university sports day can still be stiff in the wet months. Elbow pain from overuse is also described in the joint list, and it fits people who train hard or work with their hands. The doctor treats these as different questions from age-related wear, and reviewing your scans tells you which one you have.

Zemborzyce Lake in the south of the city is an artificial reservoir created by damming the Bystrzyca, and it serves recreational functions. For a runner or a cyclist with a sore knee, a lakeside route is the kind of activity that matters when planning treatment. High load on the joints from sport or physical work is listed among the reasons the treatment may be considered. After the procedure the doctor gives load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks, so you do not need to guess when to go back to the track. Normally you return to normal life within a day or two, with no crutches and no long rehabilitation.

The city's calendar also affects planning. Night of Culture falls on the first Saturday night of June, East of Culture follows in late June, and Carnaval Sztukmistrzow and Urban Highline Festival take place in the last days of July. The Jagiellonian Fair comes in late August, and Mikolajki Folkowe in the first decade of December. Student Culture Days last about three weeks between May and June. If you want to be comfortable on your feet at a favourite event, tell the coordinator your date. The procedure itself is done in one day, and the doctor can tell you what to expect in the first week, when the joint may ache a little more. That is an expected reaction, not a setback.

Body weight, activity and the joint

Joints carry the body, so weight is part of the conversation. The national audit office (NIK), using 2022 data, reported 9,185 thousand adults with obesity in Poland, or 29.8% of the population. For Lubelskie the NIK table gives 481 thousand adults with obesity and 29.0%. The chart is titled as a share of patients with overweight and obesity, so the measure is not identical to prevalence, and NIK's text says overweight and obesity concern about 60-70% of residents depending on the voivodeship. The point is not a verdict on any person. It shows that a good share of people with sore knees and hips in this region will also be thinking about weight.

The treatment description states plainly that how long the effect lasts depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors. For that reason the doctor will talk about all of them with you and will not pretend that an injection works in isolation. Chances of a lasting effect are higher at earlier stages, and the stage is judged from the scans.

For a person who is heavier or less active, that means three practical things. First, send recent imaging, because the stage is the strongest factor. Second, expect honest talk about movement and loading. For hip osteoarthritis, PRP or SVF injections combined with exercise therapy and physiotherapy can, at early stages, reduce pain and improve movement. Third, accept that if a joint is already badly damaged, replacement may be the more realistic option, and the doctor will say so after seeing your scans.

There is no pressure either way. The free consultation comes with no obligation to book surgery, and you can also use it purely as a second opinion on your X-rays, MRI, CT or reports.

Public insurance, waiting lists and a second look from home

Healthcare in Poland is organised around the National Health Fund (NFZ). Within the publicly funded range, treatment is in most cases free for the insured patient, while services that are not listed in the list of publicly funded services are not financed by NFZ. Health insurance is a contribution of 9% of personal income, of which 7.75% is deducted from tax and 1.25% is paid directly to NFZ, and uninsured patients pay the full cost of services. Which route a particular joint procedure falls under is a question to settle with the NFZ provider or your insurer. The coordinator can explain what is offered in this treatment, and the doctor sets the plan after the consultation.

Waiting times are a real factor in a joint decision. A Ministry of Health reply of 5 August 2025 to an interpellation about orthopaedics, with a focus on the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship, reported that the average wait for hip replacement fell from 195 days in 2022 to 172 days in 2024, and for knee replacement from 242 to 214 days. The source does not state clearly whether those figures are national, so they should be read as an indication rather than a Lublin number. Even so, they explain why many people want to know whether anything can be done in the meantime. For early or moderate changes, the question is often whether to try preserving your own joint first, since replacement is major surgery with long rehabilitation, with risks such as infection and with implants that may eventually need to be redone.

One NFZ rule is worth knowing. For a given service, a patient may be entered on a waiting list with only one provider, and the original referral must be delivered within 14 working days of entering the list. A second opinion on your scans does not change that. The consultation here is online, so it does not put you on or take you off any list.

Poland has 14 public non-working days, among them 1 and 6 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, 1 and 3 May, Pentecost Sunday, Corpus Christi, 15 August, 1 and 11 November, 24 December (since 2025), and 25 and 26 December. Clinics and registries are closed on those days, but the coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, so a question sent on 11 November 2026 or on 24 December 2026 is still read.

Which of my Lublin scans should I send for the review?

Send whatever you already have: X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, CT or written reports for the painful joint. The coordinator will ask for them, and the doctor will review them free of charge and tell you whether treatment without surgery could suit you. If you have older and newer images of the same joint, send both, because the stage of the condition is judged from the scans.

Does the cold, damp Lublin winter affect when I should have the procedure?

The weather does not decide it, but your health on the day does. A cold, a fever, flu or skin inflammation over the joint to be treated are temporary reasons to postpone, and with snow on about 67.5 days a year and humidity near 89% in November and December, a winter infection is a realistic reason to reschedule. Tell the coordinator if you fall ill and the doctor will move the date.

I live on a steep street and climb stairs every day. Will that slow my recovery?

Normally you return to normal life within a day or two, with no crutches and no long rehabilitation. In the first week the joint may ache a little more, which is expected. The doctor gives load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks, so mention your stairs and slopes at the consultation and you will get advice that fits your routine.

Can I plan the procedure around the June and July events in the city?

Yes. The whole procedure is done in one day, and the improvement develops over time: the pain usually eases after about a month, mobility and activity improve at about 3 months, and the full effect develops at about 6 months. If you want to be on your feet for the Night of Culture in early June or the late July festivals, tell the coordinator your dates, and the doctor can advise on what to expect.

Does the NFZ waiting list for joint replacement stop me from getting a second opinion?

No. The online consultation and the scan review are separate from any NFZ list. The NFZ rule limits you to one provider's waiting list for a given service, but a review of your scans is not an entry on a list. Questions about your referral or your place in the queue are for the NFZ provider.

Will the doctor talk about my weight?

Yes, if it is relevant, because body weight is one of the factors that affects how long the effect lasts, along with the stage of the condition and activity. The doctor will not make this a condition for a consultation. The aim is an honest plan, and for some joints that includes exercise therapy and physiotherapy alongside the injections.

Which Lublin joint problems are most suited to this treatment?

The doctor treats the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, the small joints of the hand and wrist, and the ankle, and the conditions include arthrosis, arthritis, osteoarthritis, meniscus problems and recovery after injuries. Early or moderate changes respond more readily than advanced ones. Which joint and which method are suitable is decided only after the scans are checked.

Can I use the consultation if I only want to know whether I need joint replacement?

Yes. Many people write precisely because they have been told replacement is their only choice. The doctor will review your imaging and say honestly whether injections could be tried first or whether the joint is already too damaged. There is no obligation to book anything.