City Medical Centre · multi-specialty surgery clinicOpen 24/7
EN
Message us on Telegram

Gonarthrosis and Coxarthrosis Treatment in Bydgoszcz

Cell therapy (SVF) plus PRP for arthrosis of the knee, hip and beyond. Send your X-rays or MRI — the stage review costs nothing

Consultation and review of your scansFree

Message us on WhatsApp

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

Knee joint: regenerative treatment without surgery
Joint treatment without surgery. Free consultation and review of your scans

Message our coordinator

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

Message us on Telegram

By messaging us, you agree to our Privacy Policy

What it is

What is osteoarthritis
(arthrosis)?

With osteoarthritis (arthrosis), the cartilage that lines a joint gradually wears away over time. This cartilage is the joint's shock absorber, and when it is lost the bones rub against each other, causing pain, stiffness and limited mobility. The condition is degenerative, not inflammatory, although it can flare up with swelling.

  • 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

After an examination and a review of your scans, a doctor decides whether the treatment suits you

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 blood sample is taken from a vein, and platelet-rich plasma with growth factors is later made 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

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 prepared material goes straight into the affected joint; ultrasound guidance helps position it precisely.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

You go without crutches and without a hospital stay; the doctor keeps in touch afterwards and follows the joint's response.

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 — no synthetic material and nothing from donors

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

The method uses the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a mix of cells that support tissue repair, isolated by processing a small sample of your adipose tissue. It is injected into the affected joint along with your own plasma.

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

It is mainly indicated for early and moderate stages of osteoarthritis, where it slows cartilage wear and eases friction between the joint surfaces.

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 own blood, in a small amount, is processed to separate plasma rich in platelets and growth factors, which goes into the joint to calm inflammation and improve conditions for tissue repair.

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

We treat large and small joints; the doctor picks the joint, method and injection count once your scans are reviewed

  • KneeKneeMeniscus problems, cartilage wear and pain when walking or on stairs
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain when raising the arm, wear of the joint and surrounding tendons
  • ElbowElbowPain from overuse or sports load, with worn joint surfaces
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsSmall joints of the fingers and wrist: pain and stiffness
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

We work to keep the joint you have instead of replacing it, using treatment without surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Just your blood and your adipose tissue — no synthetic material and nothing from donors

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

Not just the injection day — we stay 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

By messaging us, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Request a free call

Price

Osteoarthritis treatment prices

The doctor names the cost after the consultation — it depends on the joint, the method and how advanced the osteoarthritis is

FAQ

Joint treatment: frequently asked questions

About the conditions

More about these conditions

Other services of our clinic

Everything about arthrosis treatment in Bydgoszcz

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 Bydgoszcz is a degenerative condition rather than an inflammatory one, although flare-ups with swelling happen.

PRP is often used for mild osteoarthritis, and SVF with PRP when a stronger effect is needed. The method and the number of injections are chosen for each patient in Bydgoszcz after the examination.

Do not wait until the joint is destroyed. Book a free consultation in Bydgoszcz: early and moderate osteoarthritis responds best to treatment. The price is set individually.

Who lives with worn cartilage in a city of 321,000

Official figures put the population of Bydgoszcz at 321,100 at the end of 2025. An older English-language figure of 330,038 for the end of 2022 is also in circulation, and the two sources vary by a few thousand depending on the year used. The city covers about 176 km², is the seat of Bydgoszcz County and is one of the two capitals of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The city is a regional centre, so its residents range from young people to retirees. Osteoarthritis is a condition of the long run, and it appears in each of these groups for different reasons.

Osteoarthritis (arthrosis) is slow, chronic wear of the cartilage that lines a joint. Healthy cartilage softens impact. When it thins, the bones begin to rub, and the joint hurts, stiffens and moves less. Flare-ups with swelling can happen, but this is a degenerative disease, not an inflammatory one. That difference matters, because a joint that aches on movement and stiffens after rest calls for a different approach from a joint that is hot, red and painful at night.

The city also has about 35,000 students across 15 universities, including a medical college. Students are rarely thinking about cartilage, but an old injury from sport or a sprained ankle can leave a joint that starts complaining years later. The treatment plan lists recovery after injuries and surgery among the situations where non-surgical treatment can be considered. For a person in their twenties or thirties with a knee that has never quite recovered, a scan review can be the first step in finding out where the joint stands.

For older residents, the question is usually about postponing or avoiding joint replacement. The doctor looks at X-rays, MRI or ultrasound and assesses the stage. Doctors usually describe four stages, from early thinning of the cartilage to severe wear. Injection treatment with the patient's own cells is most often considered in the early and middle stages. If the joint is already badly destroyed, the doctor will say plainly that a replacement is the more realistic route. An honest answer of this kind is part of what the free consultation is for.

Body weight, long working days and the green spaces by the Brda

Weight is one of the factors that decide how long a result lasts, and the figures for Poland are worth looking at. In 2022 data from the Supreme Audit Office (NIK), nationally 9,185 thousand adults had obesity, which is 29.8% of the adult population. For the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship the NIK table shows 433 thousand adults and 26.4%. The chart is titled as a share of patients with overweight and obesity, so it is not identical to a plain prevalence figure. The same NIK text says that overweight and obesity concern roughly 60–70% of residents, depending on the voivodeship. A separate 2019 estimate cited in a national report found 58.2% of people over 18 with overweight or obesity, against an EU average of about 53%.

These numbers matter for knees and hips, which carry the greatest load. Each extra kilogram is carried through those joints with every step. The treatment plan says that how long an effect lasts depends on the stage of the condition, body weight, activity and other factors. Weight is therefore a topic the doctor raises directly, without blame. Reducing load is a practical part of any plan, alongside exercise that strengthens the muscles around the joint.

Work and sport are the other side of the load. The treatment text names high load on the joints, whether sport or physical work, as a situation where the approach may suit a patient. A person who spends the day on their feet, lifts boxes or works on a construction site tends to feel the knee first. A recreational runner or footballer may notice the hip or ankle.

The city offers plenty of room for gentle movement. Myślęcinek covers 830 ha and is described as the largest city park in Poland. The Brda river flows about 28 km through the city, and the Bydgoszcz Canal crosses the western part for about 6.5 km. These are flat, open places that suit the activities recommended for arthritic joints: swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking and yoga. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are the ones to avoid. The point is to build the muscles that unload the joint, to feed the cartilage better and to keep moving. Rest alone does not protect it.

Stiffness in winter months and what the figures say

The climate of Bydgoszcz is humid continental (Dfb). In the 1991–2020 normals, January has a mean maximum of 1.1 °C and a mean minimum of −3.7 °C. February runs from 2.7 °C down to −3.0 °C, and December from 2.0 °C down to −2.4 °C. In July the mean maximum is 24.6 °C and the minimum 13.7 °C, with August at 23.9 °C and 13.1 °C. The annual mean maximum is 12.9 °C and the minimum 4.6 °C.

Relative humidity averages 80.3% over the year. It peaks in November at 90.5% and December at 89.3%, and is lowest in May at 69.7%. Annual precipitation is 532.3 mm on 158.4 days with at least 0.1 mm. July is the wettest month at 83.4 mm, and February is the driest at 26.3 mm.

Nobody can say from this table that the weather causes osteoarthritis, and the treatment plan makes no such claim. What is reasonable to say is that the cold, damp months are when many people with sore joints notice stiffness after rest more clearly and move less. Reduced movement in winter means weaker muscles and more load on the cartilage. Planning is the sensible response. If a joint is troubling you in the autumn, a scan review can be arranged long before the coldest weeks, so that you are not starting a plan in the middle of January.

One timing detail from the procedure text is useful here. In the first week after the injection the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases, around three months mobility and activity improve, and at about six months the full effect develops. Early changes are noticed by many patients 2–3 weeks after the procedure. If you count forward from a procedure in the colder season, the improvement would fall in the spring and summer months, when daylight and temperature make walking easier. These are averaged guidance figures, and no one can promise a fixed result.

Public funding and queues: where the consultation fits

Most residents of Poland meet osteoarthritis first through the National Health Fund (NFZ). Within the funded range, treatment is in most cases free for the insured patient. The financing comes from a health contribution of 9% of personal income, of which 7.75% is deducted from tax and 1.25% is paid directly to NFZ. Uninsured patients pay the full cost of services. NFZ also states that services which are not listed in its catalogues of funded services are not financed by it. So a patient should ask whether a given procedure falls within the funded range, and should not assume that it does.

Queues are the practical issue. 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 Ministry of Health reply of 5 August 2025 to a parliamentary question about orthopaedics reported that the average wait for hip replacement fell from 195 days in 2022 to 172 days in 2024. For knee replacement it fell from 242 to 214 days. That reply concentrated on the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship, and the source does not make clear whether the figures are national, so they are best read as an indication of the order of magnitude and not as a local statistic.

What does this mean for someone with a painful knee? Waiting for a replacement can take many months, and during that time the joint still hurts. The treatment described in the service text works differently. It is an injection of your own blood-derived and adipose-derived material instead of an operation, aimed at slowing cartilage wear and cutting friction between the joint surfaces. It may help postpone or avoid a replacement for some patients, particularly at early or moderate stages. For advanced cases the doctor will say frankly that replacement is more realistic. This is why the free review of scans has value on either route: it gives you an independent assessment of the stage, which you can also take back to the public system.

You can send scans you already have, whether X-ray, MRI or ultrasound, and the doctor reviews them free of charge. The coordinator answers on WhatsApp and Telegram round the clock, and a first reply typically comes within 15 minutes. The consultation carries no obligation.

From first message to injection day

The process begins with a message. The coordinator asks for your scans, and the doctor assesses them. After this, the doctor decides whether the treatment suits you. It does not suit everyone. The text lists cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections (including infection in or near the joint) and a flare-up of a serious chronic illness as reasons it is not suitable. Temporary contraindications include a raised temperature, a cold or flu, and inflamed skin above the target joint. In a damp winter, colds are common, so a postponement for this reason is not unusual and is simply part of the planning.

The steps are the same for every patient. Blood is taken from a vein for platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Under local anaesthetic, the doctor collects a small portion of adipose tissue, roughly 30 ml, by puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh, and no stitches are needed. The sample is spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is isolated and blended with the plasma, and the material is injected into the affected joint under ultrasound guidance. The whole procedure is done in one day. There are no crutches and no hospital stay, and afterwards the doctor keeps in touch to follow how the joint responds.

Poland has 14 public non-working days, among them 1 January, 6 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, 1 May, 3 May, Pentecost Sunday, Corpus Christi, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November, 24 December and 25–26 December. About 100 cultural festivals and reviews also take place in the city each year. If your calendar is tight around these dates, the messaging channel is useful, because a scan can be sent and reviewed on any day and does not depend on the opening times of an office. The consultation can be arranged around a working week and a family schedule.

Do the cold and humid months in Bydgoszcz make osteoarthritis worse?

The climate figures show a long cold, damp season: November humidity averages 90.5%, December 89.3%, and January temperatures range from a mean maximum of 1.1 °C to a minimum of −3.7 °C. Many people with arthritic joints notice more stiffness after rest in this period, and less activity can weaken the muscles that support the joint. The material available to us does not say that weather itself damages cartilage, so the safer advice is to keep moving with suitable exercise and to ask the doctor about your own joint.

Is excess weight a reason to be refused treatment?

No. The doctor decides after reviewing your scans and examining the joint, and the contraindications are the ones listed for the procedure, such as cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders and acute infections. Body weight is named as one of the factors that affect how long an effect lasts, together with the stage of the condition and activity. The doctor is likely to discuss weight control as part of the plan, because it reduces the load on knees and hips.

Will the National Health Fund pay for this procedure?

NFZ states that services not listed in its catalogues of funded services are not financed by it, and that within the funded range treatment is in most cases free for the insured patient. Whether a particular procedure is covered is a question for the public provider and for NFZ. The consultation and scan review here are free, and the cost of treatment is given by the doctor after the consultation, since it depends on the joint, the method and the stage.

I am already on a waiting list for a joint replacement. Can I still ask for a consultation?

Yes. The consultation and the review of your scans are free and carry no obligation. The doctor will say whether non-surgical treatment is realistic at your stage or whether replacement is the better route. A reply of the Ministry of Health in August 2025 put the average wait for hip replacement at 172 days in 2024 and for knee replacement at 214 days, although that source focused on one voivodeship. An independent opinion on your scans can help you decide how to use the waiting period.

Which scans should I prepare, and can I send old ones?

An X-ray is 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. Existing results can be sent through WhatsApp or Telegram, and the doctor reviews them free of charge. If you have nothing recent, the coordinator will tell you which of these is the most useful to obtain first.

Is it better to start in winter or wait for spring?

The timing depends on your symptoms and health, not on the calendar. The doctor will want to postpone the procedure during a raised temperature, a cold or flu, or when the skin above the target joint is inflamed, and these are more common in damp months. After the injection, the joint may ache a little more in the first week, the pain usually eases after about a month, mobility improves at around three months, and the full effect develops at about six months. A consultation and review of scans can be done at any time of year.

Which activities are sensible in a city with a large park and a river?

The guidance is to choose swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking or yoga, and to avoid running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements. These activities build the muscles that unload the joint and feed the cartilage better. The long flat routes along the Brda and the large Myślęcinek park suit walking and cycling, but the right amount of activity for your joint is something the doctor will discuss.

How do public holidays affect getting an answer?

Poland has 14 public non-working days, including Easter Monday, 3 May, Corpus Christi and the days around Christmas. The coordinator replies on WhatsApp and Telegram round the clock, usually within 15 minutes, so sending your scans does not depend on a working day. If a date is close to a holiday, the exact time of the procedure is agreed with the coordinator after the doctor has reviewed your scans.