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Regenerative Joint Treatment in Utrecht

Regenerative SVF and PRP injections for knees, hips, shoulders and other joints, with your scans checked free beforehand

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?

Everything used in regenerative joint treatment comes from you: platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is made from your blood, and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from a little adipose tissue. The doctor injects it into the painful joint to lessen inflammation and pain and to support the joint's inner 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

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 little blood is drawn from a vein; platelet-rich plasma with growth factors is prepared from it later.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

About 30 ml of adipose tissue is collected through a puncture on the abdomen or the inner thigh under local anaesthetic. The puncture needs no stitches.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

Centrifugation divides the sample into layers, so the stromal vascular fraction can be isolated and then mixed with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

The prepared material is injected straight into the affected joint under ultrasound guidance, which helps to place it precisely.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

You go without crutches and without a hospital stay; the doctor keeps in contact after the procedure and follows your joint's progress.

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

We rely solely on your own blood and adipose tissue, without donor or synthetic material

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

To obtain SVF, the stromal vascular fraction, a small amount of your adipose tissue is processed; this cell mix takes part in repairing tissue. It is injected into the affected joint together with plasma from your own blood.

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

Doctors tend to choose it when the joint shows more pronounced changes and a more durable effect is wanted.

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

A little of your blood is enough to separate platelet-rich plasma full of growth factors. Injected into the joint, it calms inflammation and improves conditions for tissue repair.

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

It can be a course of injections on its own or be 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

From large joints to small ones: the doctor picks the joint, the technique and the injection count after studying your scans

  • KneeKneeCartilage wearing down, meniscus problems, pain after walking or on stairs
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderRaising the arm hurts; wear of the joint and the tendons around it
  • ElbowElbowPain caused by overuse or sports strain; worn joint surfaces
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsStiffness and aching in the finger and wrist joints
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

We work on keeping your own joint rather than replacing it — treatment without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

We rely solely on your own blood and adipose tissue, without donor or synthetic material

No crutches

No crutches

Punctures, not incisions; local anaesthetic; no prolonged rehabilitation

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 price depends on the joint, the stage of the condition and the method, so the doctor gives 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 Utrecht: from scan review to follow-up

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 Utrecht, it is an option to ease pain and inflammation and support the tissues inside the joint without an operation.

Ultrasound guidance helps place the material exactly where it is needed. For patients from Utrecht, this is one of the steps that make an injection into the knee, hip or shoulder more precise.

To get started, send your scans or book a visit. Patients from Utrecht receive a free review, a clear answer on whether treatment is suitable, and the price for their case.

A cycling city puts steady load on knees, hips and shoulders

Utrecht sits at an elevation of about 5 m, so the ground itself is flat, and the way people move is shaped by the bicycle. According to the figures we rely on, 51% of journeys within the city are made by bike, more than by any other mode, and the bicycle parking station by Central Station holds 12,500 bicycles. For joints, this means that daily movement is often repeated pedalling, mounting and dismounting, and carrying bags, rather than long climbs. A knee that has lost some cartilage tends to complain about exactly that kind of repetitive bending.

Organised sport adds to the picture. SV Kampong has 4,500 members and is described as the largest amateur sports club in the Netherlands, and the city hosted the Grand Depart and first stage of the Tour de France in July 2015. We do not claim that any of this causes joint problems. The point is practical: if your pain appears after a ride, after training, or when you raise an arm to reach a shelf, the doctor will want to hear exactly when it starts, because that helps to separate wear of the cartilage from inflammation.

Regenerative treatment is built around your own material. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) comes from a sample of your blood, and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) comes from a small sample of adipose tissue. In both cases the material is placed into the affected joint by injection under ultrasound guidance. It is meant to help reduce pain and inflammation and to support the tissues inside the joint. It is an option for people who want to put off or avoid replacement, not a promise that every joint will respond the same way.

The joints most often discussed with cyclists and active adults are the knee (pain after walking or climbing stairs, cartilage wear, meniscus trouble), the hip (groin pain, limited rotation) and the shoulder (pain on raising the arm). The elbow, the small joints of the hand and wrist, and the ankle can also be assessed. The doctor settles which joint, which method and how many injections only after checking your scans.

Cold, damp months and how to describe your pain

Utrecht's climate is mild but damp. At the De Bilt station the 1991-2020 normals give a January mean maximum of 6.1 °C and a minimum of 0.9 °C, with February at 7.0 °C and 0.7 °C and December at 6.7 °C and 1.6 °C. Annual precipitation is 849.7 mm spread over 131 days with at least 1 mm, and relative humidity averages 82% over the year, reaching 89% in November and December. There are about 25 snow days a year, six each in January and February.

Many people say their joints feel stiffer in this kind of weather. We cannot state that damp air changes the course of arthrosis, and we would not want you to choose a treatment on that basis. What we can say is that a pain diary is useful. Note whether the discomfort is an aching pain on movement with crunching and stiffness after rest, which points toward wear of the cartilage, or pain at rest and at night with morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, swelling, redness and warmth, which points toward inflammation. The two call for different approaches, so the diagnosis comes first.

The contrast with summer is large: July brings a mean maximum of 23.1 °C and about 213.9 hours of sunshine, while December has only 55.5 hours. Some people notice that they move less in the dark months and more in spring, when sunshine reaches 217.5 hours in May. A sudden return to cycling or sport after a quiet winter is a moment when a weak joint can flare up. Mentioning this pattern at the consultation helps the doctor read your scans in context.

Some conditions are temporary reasons to wait. Skin inflammation over the joint to be treated, a fever, a cold or flu all postpone the procedure. A winter cold is therefore worth reporting to the coordinator before a date is fixed, so that the plan can be adjusted without pressure.

A growing, young and often single-person city

The municipality of Utrecht had 378,140 inhabitants on 1 January 2026, and the city expects about 400,000 by 2030, 450,000 by 2039 and 488,000 by 2045. The urban area counts 489,734 people and the metropolitan area 656,342. Utrecht is the capital of the province of the same name, and the municipality covers 99.21 km2, of which 5.38 km2 is water.

The population is shaped by study. About 67,000 students study in Utrecht, just over 33,000 of them living in the city, and Hogeschool Utrecht alone has about 37,000 students. Utrecht University, founded in 1636, is the largest university in the Netherlands. A young crowd may seem far from the topic of joints, yet sports injuries, old sprains and meniscus problems are common in younger adults, and rehabilitation after injuries and operations is one of the situations in which the doctor can review whether injections make sense.

Another figure matters for planning: about 52.5% of households are single-person households, and about 52% of residents are female. For many people it means that nobody else is at home to help during the first days after a procedure. This is one reason the description of the treatment is reassuring in practical terms: there is no hospital stay and no crutches, and punctures are made under local anaesthetic without incisions. Normally people return to usual life within a day or two, and the doctor gives recommendations on load and exercise for the first weeks.

Because the consultation is online, you do not have to arrange anything physical to begin. You send existing X-rays, MRI, CT or ultrasound reports to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram, and a doctor reviews them free of charge. You then hear whether the procedure could suit you and what else may be needed. If a second opinion is all you want, that is a legitimate use of the service.

Coverage in the Dutch system: what to clarify before deciding

Dutch basic insurance is built around medical necessity. The national institute Zorginstituut Nederland states, for example, that plastic surgery is covered by basic insurance only with a medical reason such as functional impairment, and that procedures done only to beautify appearance are not covered. The same source notes that some insurers require prior approval, known as a machtiging, and that covered care still falls under the mandatory deductible (eigen risico), from which GP care is exempt.

We want to be careful here. These statements concern plastic surgery, not joint injections, and we do not claim that your insurer will or will not reimburse PRP or SVF treatment. The sensible approach is to ask your insurer directly whether regenerative injections are covered, whether a referral or approval is needed, and how the deductible would apply. Keep any answer in writing.

What we can offer is documentation. After the consultation the doctor states the plan and the cost for your joint, your stage of the condition and the chosen method, and you can pass this information to your insurer if you wish. The consultation and the review of your scans are free and carry no obligation to book anything.

If your scans show that a joint is already badly damaged, the doctor will say so honestly, and replacement may then be the more realistic option. Knowing this early, before any decision about injections, is often the most valuable result of the review.

Fitting the procedure and recovery into the Dutch calendar

The procedure itself is done in one day. After the consultation and scan review, 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 small puncture in the abdomen or inner thigh, without stitches. The sample is spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and mixed with platelet-rich plasma, and the material is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance.

The recovery timeline is gradual. After about a 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. These are averaged figures. How long the effect lasts depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors, and nobody can promise a fixed result.

Think about the calendar when you choose a date. Dutch public holidays include 1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, King's Day on 27 April, Liberation Day on 5 May, Ascension, Whit Sunday and Monday, and 25 and 26 December. Good Friday is not a mandatory paid holiday. Busy periods in Utrecht, such as Le Guess Who? in mid-November, which runs four days in venues across the city, or the Netherlands Film Festival in September and October, may matter to you if you plan to be on your feet for long periods in the first weeks.

Coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, so a holiday does not leave your questions waiting. After the procedure the doctor keeps in touch and follows how your joint responds, so the contact does not end on the day of the injection.

Does the wet Utrecht winter affect when I should plan treatment?

The climate figures show damp, cool months, with a January mean maximum of 6.1 °C and 89% relative humidity in November and December. We cannot say that weather changes the result. What matters is that a cold, flu, fever or skin inflammation over the joint are temporary reasons to postpone, so tell the coordinator if you are unwell and the date can be moved.

I cycle everywhere in Utrecht. Should I stop before the consultation?

The consultation does not require you to change your routine. Describe when the pain appears: during pedalling, after walking, at rest or at night. The doctor uses this together with your scans. Recommendations on load and exercise for the first weeks after a procedure are given by the doctor.

Will Dutch basic insurance pay for PRP or SVF injections?

We cannot say, and we do not want to guess. The national institute's published rules that we know concern other fields and rest on medical necessity, with some insurers requiring prior approval. Ask your insurer directly whether regenerative joint injections are covered, and how the mandatory deductible would apply.

What do I send for the free scan review if I live in Utrecht?

Send whatever you already have: X-rays, MRI, CT or ultrasound images, or written medical reports. The coordinator will ask for them 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.

I live alone. Can I manage after the procedure?

About 52.5% of Utrecht households are single-person, so this is a common situation. There is no hospital stay and no crutches, and most people return to normal life within a day or two. Still, the doctor will give load and exercise recommendations for the first weeks, and you can ask the coordinator about practical details.

Can a meniscus injury from sport be assessed online?

Yes, as a first step. The doctor reviews your MRI and says whether PRP and SVF injections might ease pain and support the knee. A physical examination of the joint takes place at the consultation stage of the procedure, before any decision is made.

When will I notice a change after the injection?

The averaged timeline is as follows: a little more aching in the first week, pain usually easing after about a month, better mobility after about three months and the full effect after about six months. Individual response depends on the stage of the condition, body weight and activity, and no fixed result can be promised.

Does a holiday such as King's Day affect contact with the coordinator?

No. Coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, including on Dutch public holidays. A holiday may simply affect which dates suit you for the procedure itself.