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Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment in Catania

SVF therapy and PRP injections for arthrosis in knees, hips and other joints — and a complimentary review of your MRI or X-rays to find the stage

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 osteoarthritis
(arthrosis)?

In this chronic disease — osteoarthritis, or arthrosis — joint cartilage is gradually worn thin. Losing the cartilage cushion lets bone rub against bone, which brings pain, stiffness and a smaller range of motion. It is classed as degenerative, not inflammatory, even though swelling may come with flare-ups.

  • 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: fever; a cold or the flu; skin inflammation above 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

Examination of the joint plus a review of your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound tells the doctor whether the procedure is suitable. If you have scans already, you can send them before the appointment.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

From a vein, a small amount of blood is taken — it will later be used to prepare platelet-rich plasma with growth factors.

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

About 30 ml of adipose tissue is taken through a puncture in the abdomen or inner thigh, with local anaesthetic. The puncture needs no stitches.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

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

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Prepared material is delivered by injection straight into the affected joint, and ultrasound guidance helps with precise placement.

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

Your own blood and adipose tissue are the only materials used — nothing donor or synthetic

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

A little of your adipose tissue is taken and processed so that the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) can be separated: cells that help tissues repair. This is combined with your own plasma and injected into the joint affected by the disease.

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

Its main use is at early and moderate stages of osteoarthritis, to slow the wear of cartilage and lessen 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

A small amount of your blood is used to separate plasma rich in platelets and growth factors, which is then injected into the joint. It helps settle inflammation and creates better conditions for tissue repair.

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

It is a common option in mild osteoarthritis and is combined with SVF where a stronger effect is needed.

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 and large joints are treated; the doctor determines the joint, method and number of injections after looking at your scans

  • KneeKneeCartilage wear with meniscus trouble and pain on stairs or after walking
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderLifting the arm hurts; the joint and surrounding tendons are worn
  • ElbowElbowPain after overuse or sports strain, wear of the joint surfaces
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsSmall finger and wrist joints that are stiff and painful
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

Treatment without surgery that works to keep your own joint rather than swap it for an implant

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Your own blood and adipose tissue are the only materials used — nothing donor or synthetic

No crutches

No crutches

Instead of incisions we use punctures, under local anaesthetic, with no long rehabilitation

Second opinion

Second opinion

Get a free, independent doctor's assessment of your X-rays, MRI or reports — simply send them over

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

Osteoarthritis treatment prices

Cost varies with the stage of osteoarthritis, the joint and the method — the doctor states 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 Catania: what you should know

Osteoarthritis, also called arthrosis, is a chronic condition in which the cartilage of a joint gradually thins and wears away. For patients from Catania, it usually shows as aching pain on movement, stiffness after rest and crunching in the joint.

Osteoarthritis treatment in Catania is not done with cancer, acute infections, blood clotting disorders, during pregnancy or during a flare-up of a serious chronic illness. The doctor checks this at the consultation.

The cost of osteoarthritis treatment depends on the joint, the stage and the method, so the price is set at the consultation. For patients from Catania, the first consultation and review of your scans are free. Leave your name and phone number to book.

Wear, weight and long lives: the background to joint trouble in Catania

Osteoarthritis is the slow thinning of the cartilage that lines a joint. Once that cushion is thinner, the bone ends rub, and the joint aches, stiffens and moves less. It develops over years, so the questions that matter are how many years a person has lived, how much load the joint has carried and how heavy that load was. National figures help to frame the first two. Italy's life expectancy was 83.4 years in 2018, among the highest in the OECD. Joints that serve for more than eight decades have a lot of mileage on them, and cartilage wear is one of the most common results.

Body weight is the second factor. Italian national statistics for 2023 show that 46.3% of adults are overweight or obese. Obesity alone was 11.8%, up from 10.3% ten years earlier. These are figures for the whole country, and no regional split was found, so they cannot be read as a statement about Catania itself. They do describe the setting for any city of this size, and Catania has 296,984 residents by the 2026 estimate and more than a million in its Metropolitan City. Each extra kilogram adds to the load on the knees and hips, the two joints most often affected. The treatment described for this service depends on the stage of the condition and also on body weight and activity. The doctor will therefore ask about your weight openly during the consultation, because it influences how long any improvement is likely to last.

The same national survey found that 35% of people aged three and over are sedentary. That matters for cartilage because a joint that is rarely moved is fed less well, and weak muscles around it cannot share the load. Most people with osteoarthritis are caught in both problems at once. Pain makes them move less, and moving less makes the joint stiffer and the pain worse. The aim of an injection plan is to break that circle. A joint that hurts less can take part in the walking, swimming or cycling that keeps the surrounding muscles working.

Treatment based on your own tissue suits this picture because it is built around keeping the natural joint. The doctor takes a small blood sample for platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Under local anaesthetic, about 30 ml of adipose tissue is collected through a puncture on the abdomen or the inner thigh, without stitches. The stromal vascular fraction is isolated in a centrifuge, blended with the plasma and injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. Nothing donor or synthetic is used. Everything is done in one day, with no crutches and no hospital stay.

Damp winters, mild days and morning stiffness

The weather in Catania is not extreme in the cold season, but it is not dry either. At the Catania-Sigonella station, for 1991-2020, the January mean high is 17.5 °C and the mean low is 6.3 °C. Relative humidity averages 70.3% over the year. December is the wettest month, at 78.5 mm, with November second at 66.2 mm. Annual precipitation is 483.8 mm across 50.7 days with at least 1 mm. Snow is a rarity. The last recorded snowfall was on 17 December 1988, with a light fall on 9 February 2015, and the lowest temperature on record is -2.6 °C.

These numbers suggest a winter of cool, damp mornings and mild afternoons rather than hard frost. Some people with osteoarthritis say their joints feel stiffer in such weather. Whether the weather itself is the cause is hard to prove, and the service information makes no such claim. A practical point is easier to state. Stiffness after rest is a typical sign of osteoarthritis, and it tends to ease as the joint warms up with movement. In arthritis, which is an inflammatory condition, the pattern is different. There is pain at rest and at night, morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, and swelling, redness and warmth over the joint. If your winter mornings look more like the second description, tell the coordinator. The doctor will want to separate the two conditions before suggesting anything, because the treatment approach differs.

The rainy season is a convenient time to gather paperwork. Many people use these months to collect their old X-rays, MRI reports and ultrasound results. The doctor reviews them free of charge and assesses the stage. The stage is the key to the whole plan. Early and moderate osteoarthritis respond best, and the milder the stage, the faster and longer-lasting the effect is likely to be. When the joint space has almost disappeared, a lasting effect cannot be expected, and the doctor will say so openly rather than suggest an injection that is unlikely to help.

Winter in Catania is also the cultural season. The opera season at the Teatro Massimo Bellini runs from December to May, and the Catania Jazz Festival fills several winter months. Sitting for two or three hours in a theatre seat is a small test of a stiff knee or hip. If standing up after a long evening is becoming difficult, that is worth mentioning in the consultation, because it tells the doctor how the joint behaves after rest.

Heat, sun and keeping the joint moving in summer

Summer here is hot and dry. The July mean high is 35.1 °C and the mean low is 21.4 °C. August is a little warmer at 35.5 °C and 22.3 °C. The annual mean high is 25.7 °C. Temperatures of 40 °C are passed a couple of times in most years, and the record is 46.7 °C, set in July. July is also the driest month, with 7.8 mm of rain and only 0.4 rainy days. Sunshine adds up to 3,225.9 hours a year, with 381.6 hours in June against 182.3 in December.

For a joint patient the long dry season has one clear advantage. Exercise outdoors does not stop for weeks because of rain. The activities the service information recommends are swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking and yoga. It advises against running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements. Swimming and water exercise are practical choices in a coastal city on the Ionian Sea, since the water takes the body weight off the knees and hips. At midday temperatures close to 35 °C, though, outdoor effort needs sensible timing, and cooler hours at the start or end of the day are the natural choice. This is common-sense planning, and the doctor can tell you what activity suits your joint in the weeks after treatment.

The expected course after treatment is the same in any season, so use it to plan. During the first week 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 by about six months the full effect develops. Some patients notice early changes two to three weeks after the procedure. The result is not fixed or promised. It depends on the stage, weight, activity and other individual factors. Osteoarthritis is chronic, so it calls for an ongoing plan rather than a single injection. With a hot July and August ahead, it can help to think of the six-month course as a calendar. If treatment starts in the cooler months, the fuller effect develops while the long, dry, sunny season is arriving.

Students, football crowds and old injuries

Catania is a university city. The University of Catania was founded in 1434 and had 40,287 students in 2024/2025. Most students are young, far from the age of typical cartilage wear. Joint problems among the young often have a different story. They follow sports injuries, sprains and meniscus damage, and the cartilage damage that comes later may only appear years afterwards. The list of conditions treated in this service includes meniscus pathology and injury, rehabilitation after injuries and surgery, and ankle pain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries. Someone who damaged a knee playing football at 20 can be dealing with early gonarthrosis at 45. Early evaluation matters for that person, because the treatment works best early or at a moderate stage.

Sport is a visible part of the city's rhythm. The stadium opened in 1937, has a capacity of 21,000 and is a reminder of how many people play and follow football. Motor sport also has a long history here. The Catania-Etna hill-climb dates back to 1923. But the load that matters for a joint is mostly everyday load. Occupations that involve standing, climbing or lifting put the knees, hips and ankles under strain. The service information specifically lists high load on the joints, through sport or physical work, as a reason the treatment may suit a person.

The geography adds its own demands. The city lies at the base of Mount Etna, and the Circumetnea, a 110 km narrow-gauge railway around the volcano, reaches a maximum elevation of 976 m. Slopes and steps are a daily fact of life in a place built on the flanks of a volcano. The city's own elevation is only 7 m, but the ground rises quickly inland. A patient with an arthritic knee who notices pain when going up or down stairs, or after a long walk, is describing the typical symptoms. The metro runs 8.8 km, which gives a sense of how much of the urban area people cover on foot between stations. If these are your symptoms, send the scans and describe what you find hardest, because the doctor decides the joint, the method and the number of injections after looking at your scans.

Public coverage and private options for joint care

Italy's national health service, the SSN, was established in 1978 and provides universal coverage to citizens and residents. It is run on a regional basis, and national Essential Levels of Care (LEA) define what it must offer. Healthcare spending reached 9.7% of GDP in 2020. In practice, the system offers general practitioner care, specialist referrals and diagnostic tests, with a co-payment for specialist visits that is waived or reduced for low-income patients. Exemptions apply by age, income or chronic illness. Which of these applies to you is a matter for your general practitioner and your regional health office, and the coordinator cannot decide it for you.

Waiting times are the reason many patients look at other options. Reports describe waits of usually up to a few months in the big public facilities, and usually up to a few weeks in private facilities contracted with the SSN. No official waiting-list figure was found, so these are general descriptions and not a statement about Catania. There is also evidence of patients moving from the poorer southern regions to the more prosperous north for care. For someone with osteoarthritis, the practical consequence is that a routine specialist assessment can take time, while a pain that limits daily life does not wait.

An online consultation does not replace the public pathway. It adds a quick second opinion that you can use alongside it. You send your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound, and a doctor reviews them free of charge, with no obligation to book anything. The coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram. The service promises a reply within 15 minutes for the free consultation. You can then take the doctor's assessment of the stage to your general practitioner, to a public specialist or to any other adviser you trust.

Coverage rules differ by procedure. The national articles consulted for this block deal mostly with plastic and bariatric surgery. They show that the SSN pays for defined functional and reconstructive cases and for procedures that reduce the risks of severe obesity. They also show that purely aesthetic work is only available privately. They do not cover regenerative injections for joints, and nothing in them tells you whether your regional service funds such treatment. Ask your health fund or the regional office directly, and ask the coordinator about the cost. The doctor quotes the cost after the consultation, because it depends on the joint, the method and the stage.

Planning the consultation around the calendar

Because the consultation is online, there is nothing to arrange in the city itself. The practical preparation is about information. Gather whatever imaging you already have. The X-ray remains the main method and shows the stage. MRI gives a detailed picture of cartilage and soft tissue, ultrasound shows inflammation and fluid in the joint, and blood tests help to rule out inflammatory diseases. If you have none of these yet, the coordinator will tell you what is useful to obtain first.

Public holidays in Italy mainly affect public offices and laboratories, which can slow down getting reports or new scans. Every Sunday counts as a holiday, as do 1 January, 6 January, Easter Monday, 25 April, 1 May, 2 June, 15 August, 4 October, 1 November, 8 December, 25 December and 26 December. Catania has a local date as well. The Festival of Saint Agatha is held every 5 February, with festivities beginning on 3 February. It is not on the national holiday list, but it shapes the city's week. If you need a recent scan from a laboratory, plan around these days. The coordinators are available round the clock, so messaging is not affected by holidays.

Before the procedure itself, tell the doctor about anything on the list of contraindications. The treatment is not suitable in cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections (including infection in or near the joint) or a flare-up of a serious chronic illness. Temporary reasons to wait include a raised temperature, a cold or flu, and inflamed skin above the target joint. In a damp winter, colds are a realistic reason to postpone, and the doctor will rearrange the procedure.

You can also ask a spouse or a relative to read through the plan with you. Treatment decisions on a chronic condition are easier when two people have heard the same explanation. Send the scans first, receive the doctor's review, think it over, and book only when you are ready.

Does the damp winter in Catania make osteoarthritis worse?

Winter in Catania is mild but humid, with a January mean high of 17.5 °C, a mean low of 6.3 °C and annual relative humidity of 70.3%. Some people notice more stiffness on damp mornings. The service information makes no claim that weather causes the condition to worsen. Stiffness after rest is a typical sign of osteoarthritis, and morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes with swelling, redness and warmth points toward inflammatory arthritis, which is treated differently. Describe the pattern to the coordinator and send your scans so the doctor can tell the two apart.

Is it better to start treatment before the hot summer in Catania?

The service information does not tie the procedure to a season, so the timing is a matter of convenience. The course is the same at any time. The joint may ache a little more in the first week, the pain usually eases after about a month, mobility improves around three months, and the full effect develops at about six months. Summer highs of 35 °C or more in July and August mean outdoor exercise is best done in the cooler hours. The doctor will advise on activity after the procedure.

Which exercise suits osteoarthritis in a coastal city on the Ionian Sea?

Swimming and water aerobics are on the list of suitable activities, along with cycling, Nordic walking and yoga. The water takes weight off the joint while the muscles that unload it keep working. The list of things to avoid is running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements. The doctor can tailor the advice to your joint and stage.

Can an old football or sports injury lead to osteoarthritis later?

Meniscus injuries, sprains and other past damage appear among the conditions in this service, including ankle pain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries. Joints that were hurt earlier in life can wear faster, so pain years after an injury is worth having assessed. Treatment works best at an early or moderate stage, and a free review of your X-ray or MRI is the way to find out which stage you are at.

How does body weight affect the result of the injections?

The service information lists body weight among the factors that decide how long an effect lasts, along with the stage of the condition and activity. Nationally, 46.3% of Italian adults are overweight or obese, so this is a common issue. Controlling weight, exercising and cooperating with a doctor are described as making a real difference. The doctor will talk about it plainly and without judgement during the consultation.

Does the national health service cover this kind of joint treatment?

The SSN gives universal coverage to citizens and residents, through regional organisations, within the national Essential Levels of Care. The sources used here do not say whether regenerative injections for joints are included in your region. Co-payments apply to specialist visits, with exemptions by age, income or chronic illness. Ask your regional health office or general practitioner, and ask the coordinator for the cost quoted after the consultation.

Public waiting lists are long. Can I get an opinion sooner?

Waiting times for big public facilities are usually up to a few months, and for private facilities contracted with the SSN usually up to a few weeks, although no official figure was found. The online consultation does not depend on those queues. Send your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound by WhatsApp or Telegram, and a doctor reviews it free of charge. You can then bring the doctor's assessment into any public appointment.

Do Italian holidays or the Festival of Saint Agatha affect the consultation?

Coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, so holidays do not stop the conversation. They can slow down getting new reports or scans from laboratories. Every Sunday and 12 national dates are holidays, and Catania also celebrates Saint Agatha on 5 February, with festivities beginning on 3 February, although that date is not a national holiday. If you need new imaging, plan around those days.

I am a student with knee pain after sport. Am I too young for this?

Age alone does not decide it. The doctor decides after examining the joint and reviewing the scans whether the treatment suits you. Recovery after injuries, meniscus problems and early wear are all part of the conditions treated. Pain, crunching or stiffness, painkillers that help only briefly, and high load from sport are among the signs that the treatment may suit you. A free scan review is the first step.

How long does the whole procedure take, and do I need crutches?

The whole procedure is done in one day. A small blood sample is taken, about 30 ml of adipose tissue is collected under local anaesthetic through a puncture with no stitches, the material is processed in a centrifuge, and the result is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. There are no crutches and no hospital stay. The doctor keeps in touch afterwards and follows how the joint responds.