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Osteoarthritis Treatment for Patients from Bielefeld

Arthrosis of the knee, hip or another joint treated with SVF cells and PRP. Your X-rays or MRI are reviewed free of charge to confirm the stage

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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 osteoarthritis
(arthrosis)?

In osteoarthritis, sometimes called arthrosis, the joint's cartilage lining wears away bit by bit over years. That cartilage normally absorbs shock; once it breaks down, bone rubs on bone and the joint becomes painful, stiff and less mobile. It is a disease of wear rather than inflammation, even if episodes of swelling happen.

  • 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 doctor decides on suitability once you have been examined and your scans have been reviewed

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: inflammation of the skin over the joint to be treated, fever, a cold or flu

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

An examination of the joint and a review of your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound let the doctor decide if the procedure is suitable. Existing scans can be sent in advance of the visit.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

A small volume of venous blood is collected; from it, platelet-rich plasma with growth factors is prepared later on.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

The doctor numbs the area with local anaesthetic and takes about 30 ml of adipose tissue through a puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh; stitches are not required.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

Centrifugation separates the sample into layers, and the stromal vascular fraction is isolated, then combined with platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

The doctor injects the prepared material directly into the affected joint, with ultrasound guidance helping place it precisely.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No hospital stay and no crutches are needed. After the procedure, the doctor remains in touch and tracks 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

Only material from your body — blood and adipose tissue — no donor or synthetic products

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

SVF — the stromal vascular fraction — is a mixture of repair-related cells isolated from a small sample of your own adipose tissue. It is injected into the affected joint together with your plasma.

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

Early and moderate osteoarthritis is where it is mostly used — to slow cartilage wear and reduce friction between the surfaces of the joint.

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 little of your blood, plasma rich in platelets and growth factors is separated and injected into the joint. It calms inflammation and gives tissue repair better conditions.

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

It is frequently used for mild osteoarthritis, and combined with SVF when a stronger effect is required.

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 and small joints alike. The joint, the technique and the number of injections are chosen by the doctor based on your scans

  • KneeKneeCartilage wear, meniscus problems, pain on stairs and after walking
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderWear of the joint and the tendons around it, painful arm raising
  • ElbowElbowWear of the joint surfaces and pain after overuse or sports strain
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsPainful, stiff small joints of the wrist and fingers
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

Your own joint is kept, not replaced — we treat without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Only material from your body — blood and adipose tissue — no donor or synthetic products

No crutches

No crutches

Done through punctures under local anaesthetic, without incisions or long rehabilitation

Second opinion

Second opinion

Free of charge, a doctor gives an independent assessment of the X-rays, MRI or reports you send

Support after the procedure

Support after the procedure

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

Osteoarthritis treatment prices

The price depends on the joint, the method and the stage of osteoarthritis, 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

Osteoarthritis treatment in Bielefeld: what you should know

Cartilage works as a shock absorber. When it thins, the bones start to rub against each other, and the joint becomes painful and less mobile. Osteoarthritis in Bielefeld is a degenerative condition rather than an inflammatory one, although flare-ups with swelling happen.

Osteoarthritis is chronic, so it needs an ongoing plan rather than a single injection. In Bielefeld, the doctor combines SVF or PRP with advice on weight, exercise and load for the joint.

Leave a request, and a coordinator will contact you to arrange a free scan review. The price of osteoarthritis treatment in Bielefeld is explained before treatment begins.

A big city on a hill range: what the terrain asks of knees and hips

Bielefeld had 331,419 residents at the end of 2025. Its area is 258.83 km², which is large for a city of that size. The reason is the 1973 municipal merger, which grew the territory from 48 km² to 259 km². The density today is about 1,280.5 people per km². For joint health this matters in a practical way. The city is a patchwork of dense districts and green outskirts, so daily distances on foot, by bicycle or on stairs differ a lot from one neighbourhood to the next.

The ground itself is not flat. Bielefeld sits on the watershed between the Weser and the Ems, and the Teutoburger Wald crosses the city from west-northwest to east-southeast. The Bielefelder Pass is the natural route through that ridge. The lowest point is 71 m above sea level at Brake, and the highest is 320 m at Auf dem Polle in Lämershagen. The Rathaus stands at 114 m. The difference of nearly 250 m between the extremes means that a person who lives on one side of the ridge and works on the other may climb and descend every day without noticing.

Osteoarthritis (arthrosis) is the slow, chronic wear of the cartilage lining a joint. Healthy cartilage softens impact. When it thins, the bone ends rub, and the joint aches, stiffens and moves less. Knees and hips carry the greatest load, so slopes, steps and long walks on hard pavements are exactly the situations in which people with early wear first notice pain. Typical complaints are pain on stairs or after walking (knee) and groin pain with limited rotation (hip).

We do not claim that a hilly city causes arthrosis. Wear depends on the individual joint, on past injuries, on body weight and on activity. But if you live here and your knee complains on a slope, say so at the consultation. The doctor will ask what a normal day demands of the joint, and "how many hills do I cross to get to work" is a useful answer.

The consultation is online, and so is the first step. You send your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound, and a doctor reviews them free of charge to establish the stage. Doctors usually describe four stages, from early thinning of the cartilage to severe wear. Injection treatment with your own tissue is most often considered in the early and middle stages.

Cold, damp months and stiff joints: reading the Bielefeld weather diary

The climate numbers for the station Bielefeld-Deppendorf (November 2016 to October 2021) give a clear seasonal picture. The annual mean is 10.4 °C. July is the warmest month at 18.4 °C, and January the coldest at 2.7 °C. Annual precipitation is 822 mm spread over 194 rainy days, which is more than one day in two. December is the wettest month with 102 mm, followed by January with 93 mm. April is the driest with 33 mm.

Light changes as well. Sunshine averages 4.5 hours a day over the year. It peaks at 7.8 hours in June and 7.1 hours in May, then falls to 1.2 hours in January and only 1.1 hours in December. Short grey days at the turn of the year tend to mean less time outdoors and fewer opportunities to move. For a person with arthrosis, that matters more than the thermometer, because the joint's cartilage is fed through movement.

The extremes are wider than the averages suggest. The record high is 39.0 °C (25 July 2019), and the record low is −21.3 °C (13 February 2021). Year-to-year swings are also large. Annual precipitation has ranged from 652.6 mm (2018) to 1,466.2 mm (2023), and annual sunshine from 1,418.4 hours (2013) to 1,918.3 hours (2022). A resident therefore cannot count on a "typical" winter or summer. Planning exercise around the calendar alone is unreliable.

Arthrosis is a degenerative disease, not an inflammatory one. Even so, flare-ups with swelling happen. The doctor's questions tend to separate two patterns. In osteoarthritis the cartilage wears, which gives aching pain on movement, crunching and stiffness after rest. In arthritis the joint is inflamed, with pain at rest and at night, swelling, redness and warmth, and morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes. A simple joint diary kept through a damp January helps with this distinction. Note when the stiffness appears, how long it lasts and whether the joint is warm or red. Send the notes together with your scans, because the treatment approach differs between the two conditions.

A scheduling point also follows from the text of the treatment. Temporary contraindications include a raised temperature, a cold or flu, and inflamed skin above the target joint. In the wettest, darkest months, respiratory infections are common, so keep some flexibility in your plans. If you fall ill, tell the coordinator and the date is simply moved. The coordinators answer on WhatsApp and Telegram round the clock.

Hermannsweg, cycling and pool lengths: staying active with worn cartilage

The Hermannsweg hiking trail runs 156 km along the ridges of the Teutoburg Forest, and the city sits on that same ridge system. Bielefeld also has the Radrennbahn, a bike racing track. These facts show that outdoor movement is part of the setting. They do not tell us how many residents hike or race, and we do not claim to know.

What we can say comes from the medical side. A person with osteoarthritis can exercise, and should. Suitable activity builds the muscles that unload the joint, feeds the cartilage better and keeps you moving. The most suitable options are swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking and yoga. Poles and a gentle surface suit Nordic walking, so sections of a forest ridge path can work for someone with a mildly affected knee. Steep descents with a heavy rucksack are a different matter. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are best avoided.

If you are planning a return to hiking, think in stages. Short outings on level ground come first, then a longer route if the joint tolerates it. The doctor will not give you a mileage limit, because there is no general number to give, but the consultation will cover which loads suit your joint at your stage.

A short note on what to expect after the procedure. For the first week, the joint may ache a little more, and this is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases. After around three months, mobility and activity improve. The full effect develops over roughly six months. Early changes are noticed by many patients 2–3 weeks after the procedure. How long the effect lasts differs from person to person. It depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors, and no one can promise a fixed result. Osteoarthritis is chronic, so it requires an ongoing plan, not a one-off injection.

This is why the ridge trail and the cycling track should be viewed as part of the plan, not as a reward at its end. Your own blood and adipose tissue are used in the treatment, and exercise keeps the supporting muscles in condition. After the procedure there are no crutches and no hospital stay. The doctor keeps in touch and follows how the joint responds.

Body weight, study years and physical work: whose joints carry the load

The body-weight picture in Germany is worth stating plainly, because weight is one of the factors that shape how long an effect lasts. Two kinds of surveys exist for adult obesity (BMI 30 and above). The Mikrozensus 2009 survey, based on self-reported data, gave 15.7% of men and 13.8% of women. Measured data from the DEGS study (2008/11) gave 23.3% of men and 23.9% of women. The surveys give lower values than the measurements, so people tend to underestimate their own weight. If you fill in a form with your weight, use a measured number rather than a remembered one. The doctor can then judge the load on a knee or hip realistically.

Weight is part of a wider load picture. The service text names high load on the joints, through sport or physical work, as one reason for considering treatment. It also names recovery after injuries and surgery, wanting to avoid or postpone joint replacement, and painkillers that only help for a short time. None of these depends on age alone.

The city's rhythm shows the range of lives. Universität Bielefeld, founded in 1969, had 24,453 students in the winter semester of 2022/23. The applied sciences university offers 21 courses in 8 departments, with agriculture and engineering located in Minden. A student with an old sports injury and a tradesperson with years of kneeling are different cases, but the first question is the same. What does the scan show, and at which stage is the joint?

For serious obesity, German national guidance goes beyond the injection plan. Under the S3 guideline, bariatric surgery is indicated from BMI 40 kg/m² even without comorbidities, and from BMI 35 kg/m² with an obesity-related comorbidity, once conservative therapy has failed. Statutory insurance does not list it in the regular benefit catalogue, but it can be applied for in individual cases. The conditions are proof that conservative weight-loss methods were exhausted over 6 to 12 months in a multimodal concept, and an assessment by the Medizinischer Dienst. This is a separate pathway, not a substitute for the joint consultation. We mention it because the doctor may raise weight as one of the factors behind the wear. Weight control, exercise and regular follow-up with a doctor make a real difference to a chronic joint disease.

A final point on who the treatment does not suit. Cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections (including infection in or near the joint) and a flare-up of a serious chronic illness are on the list of reasons why the procedure would not go ahead. If any of these applies, the doctor will say so during the consultation.

Insurance, waiting times and joint replacement: the German health context

About 92% of the German population is covered by statutory health insurance. As of 2024, about 88% of the working population is insured through statutory funds and about 11% privately. In practical terms, most readers of this text have a statutory or a private insurer. We cannot tell you in advance how your insurer treats a regenerative injection. That depends on your plan, and the quote you receive from the doctor is a separate matter. The doctor quotes the cost after the consultation, because it depends on the joint, the method and the stage. The consultation and review of your scans are free. A sensible step is to ask your insurer in writing how it handles this kind of treatment, and to keep the reply with your scans.

The scale of the condition in Germany is large. About five million people have osteoarthritis (Arthrose). In 2016, about 400,000 hip and knee joint replacement operations (Endoprothetik) were performed. The text of the treatment is honest about this: replacement is the last option, for when the joint is already destroyed. In advanced cases the doctor will say frankly if a replacement is more realistic. For the hip, the treatment may suit early stages, where PRP or SVF injections combined with exercise therapy and physiotherapy can reduce pain and improve movement. At the most advanced stage, when the joint space has almost disappeared, a lasting effect cannot be expected.

If surgery does become the route, it is useful to know what it involves. After an uncomplicated hip replacement, the inpatient stay lasts about six to eight days in most clinics, and follow-up rehabilitation (Anschlussheilbehandlung) is arranged during the stay. A 2010 Commonwealth Fund survey found that 70% of Germans reported waiting less than 1 month for elective surgery. That figure is old, and waiting times vary by region and by procedure. Treat it as context, not as a promise for your own case.

The non-surgical route is shorter. Cell therapy is built from two parts, SVF from adipose tissue and PRP from blood. Under local anaesthetic, the doctor collects a small portion of adipose tissue, roughly 30 ml, by puncture on the abdomen or the inner thigh. Stitches are not needed. A small blood sample is taken from a vein. The samples are spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and blended with the platelet-rich plasma, and the material is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. The whole procedure is done in one day. For milder disease PRP alone is often used, and the combination with SVF is chosen when a stronger effect is needed.

Which tests help? An X-ray remains the main method and shows the stage. MRI gives a detailed picture of cartilage and soft tissues. Ultrasound shows inflammation and fluid in the joint, and blood tests help rule out inflammatory diseases. If you already have results, the doctor reviews them free of charge, so there is no need to repeat scans.

Does the changeable weather make the timing of treatment matter?

Not in a medical sense, as far as the information we hold goes. What matters is that you are well on the day. A raised temperature, a cold or flu, or inflamed skin above the target joint are temporary contraindications. Bielefeld has 194 rainy days a year and a wet December and January, so keep the date flexible and tell the coordinator if you fall ill. The date will simply be moved.

Which Bielefeld winter symptoms should I note down before the online consultation?

Write down when the stiffness appears, how long it lasts, whether the joint is warm, red or swollen, and whether pain occurs at rest or at night. Stiffness after rest with aching on movement points towards osteoarthritis. Pain at night, swelling and morning stiffness longer than 30 minutes point towards inflammatory arthritis, which is treated differently. Send these notes with your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound.

I live near the Teutoburger Wald and walk a lot. Will I have to stop?

Not necessarily. Suitable activity is encouraged, because it builds the muscles that unload the joint. Nordic walking, cycling and swimming are among the better options. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are best avoided. The doctor will discuss which loads suit your joint after seeing your scans.

Will German statutory insurance pay for this treatment?

We cannot say, and we do not want to guess. About 92% of people in Germany are covered by statutory insurance, but what a given insurer reimburses depends on the plan and the individual case. The doctor quotes the cost after the consultation. Ask your insurer in writing and keep the answer. The consultation and the review of your scans are free of charge.

With about five million people affected in Germany, is joint replacement the usual next step?

Not always. About 400,000 hip and knee replacements were performed in 2016, but replacement is the last option, for when the joint is already destroyed. At early and moderate stages, injections of your own tissue aim to ease pain and support the cartilage without an operation. If your joint is too worn, the doctor will tell you frankly after reviewing your scans.

If I do need a hip replacement later, what is the typical hospital stay?

In most German clinics the stay after an uncomplicated hip replacement lasts about six to eight days, and the follow-up rehabilitation is arranged during that stay. The non-surgical procedure is different: it takes one day, with no hospital stay and no crutches.

How much does my body weight change what I can expect?

Body weight is one of the factors that decides how long an effect lasts, along with the stage, your activity and other factors. Use a measured weight when you describe your case, because surveys in Germany show that self-reported values come out lower than measured ones. No one can promise a fixed result, and the doctor confirms the plan at the consultation.

I am a student and have an old sports injury. Is arthrosis only for older people?

No. The text of the treatment lists recovery after injuries and surgery, as well as high joint load through sport or physical work, among the situations in which treatment may suit. A doctor decides after reviewing your scans. Universität Bielefeld alone had 24,453 students in the winter semester of 2022/23, so joint complaints in younger adults are not unusual enough to wait on.