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Osteoarthritis in Cordoba: Treatment by Stage

For knees, hips and other joints with arthrosis: SVF cell therapy and PRP. We check the stage from your X-rays or MRI at no cost

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)?

Osteoarthritis (arthrosis) is a long-term condition where the cartilage covering a joint slowly thins and wears down. Because cartilage cushions the joint, its loss lets the bones grind against one another, bringing pain, stiffness and reduced movement. The disease is degenerative, not inflammatory, though swollen flare-ups can occur.

  • 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: 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

After examining the joint and reviewing your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound, the doctor decides whether the procedure suits you. Scans you already have can be sent before 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

With local anaesthetic, a small amount of adipose tissue — around 30 ml — is obtained through a puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh, and no stitches are needed.

Processing in a centrifuge4

Processing in a centrifuge

The sample is spun in a centrifuge and separates into layers. The stromal vascular fraction is isolated and mixed with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Directly into the affected joint, under ultrasound guidance — this is how the prepared material is injected for precise placement.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No crutches are needed and there is no hospital stay. The doctor keeps in touch after the procedure to see 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 your own adipose tissue and blood — no synthetic or donor material

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

Taken from a small amount of your blood, plasma rich in platelets and growth factors is injected into the joint. There it helps calm inflammation and sets up better conditions for tissue repair.

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

Commonly used for mild osteoarthritis — and together with SVF when you need a stronger effect.

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 joints and small joints — having reviewed your scans, the doctor chooses which joint, which method and how many injections

  • KneeKneePain after walking and climbing stairs, worn cartilage, meniscus problems
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderWorn joint and surrounding tendons, with pain when the arm is raised
  • ElbowElbowPain from overuse or sports load, with worn joint surfaces
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsStiffness and pain in the small joints of the fingers and wrist
  • 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 your own adipose tissue and blood — no synthetic or donor material

No crutches

No crutches

Punctures instead of incisions, local anaesthetic, no long rehabilitation

Second opinion

Second opinion

Send us your MRI, X-rays or reports for an independent assessment by a doctor at no cost

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

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

What Cordoba residents ask about osteoarthritis

Without treatment, osteoarthritis usually progresses: pain becomes constant, movement becomes limited and the joint may deform. Early diagnosis, weight control, exercise and working with a doctor make a real difference for every patient in Cordoba.

Osteoarthritis treatment in Cordoba 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.

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

Cartilage wear in numbers: osteoarthritis among Spain's common chronic conditions

Osteoarthritis is the slow, chronic wearing of the cartilage that lines a joint. Healthy cartilage softens impact. When it thins, the bones start to rub, and the joint hurts, stiffens and moves less. It is a degenerative condition rather than an inflammatory one, although flare-ups with swelling do happen.

The national health survey run by Spain's statistics institute in 2020 put osteoarthritis in third place among chronic problems diagnosed in people aged 15 and over. It was reported by 14.4 % of respondents, behind high blood pressure (19.0 %) and high cholesterol (15.3 %). Low back pain followed at 13.7 %. In other words, joint wear is not a rare complaint in Spain, and a person in Cordoba who feels aching in a knee or a hip is far from alone.

Cordoba is a municipality of roughly 325,000 people, the twelfth largest in Spain by population. With a city of that size, the number of adults living with some degree of cartilage wear is not small, even though no local figure can be read from the national survey. What matters for you is the individual picture: which joint, which stage, which scans. That is exactly what the doctor looks at during the free online consultation.

Body weight, physical work and sport: what actually loads a joint

The knees and hips are affected most often because they carry the greatest load. The ankle and the small joints of the hand come next. Any factor that increases the load on a joint, or the number of times it is loaded, matters for the pace of wear.

Body weight is one of those factors. The same Spanish health survey found obesity in 16.0 % of adults (16.5 % of men and 15.5 % of women) and overweight in 37.6 %. Together, 53.6 % of adults were above what is considered a normal weight. Weight is one of the things that influence how long the effect of a joint procedure lasts, together with the stage of the condition and the level of activity. Controlling weight is therefore part of any sensible plan, not an optional extra.

Work and sport count too. People who do heavy physical work, or who play sport that strains the knees, hips or ankles, are a group for whom the treatment is often considered, particularly when the joint is at an early or moderate stage. Previous injuries and meniscus problems also leave their mark on the joint surface.

Movement is still useful. Suitable activity builds the muscles that unload the joint and nourishes the cartilage better. Swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking and yoga are the usual choices. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are best avoided. The doctor will adjust this advice to your joint once the scans have been reviewed.

Mild winters, wet Novembers and joint stiffness

Cordoba sits in the Guadalquivir depression, and its climate is known mainly for summer heat. In July and August the average daily maximum is about 37 °C. Winter is gentler: in January, the coldest month, the average maximum is 15.2 °C and the average minimum 3.7 °C. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the city is −8.2 °C, in January 2005.

The damp part of the year is autumn and early winter. Annual precipitation is about 573 mm over 55 days. December (90.7 mm), November (79.2 mm) and October (78.7 mm) are the wettest months, and relative humidity in December reaches 78 %, against 38 % in July. Sunshine falls from 372 hours in July to 161 hours in December.

The climate data describe the weather, not your joints, and it would be wrong to claim that damp or cold wears cartilage away. Many people with osteoarthritis do report that stiffness after rest is more noticeable on cool mornings. Aching on movement, crunching and stiffness after rest are the typical signs of cartilage wear. Pain at rest and at night, swelling, redness and warmth point more towards arthritis, which is inflammatory and is treated differently.

If your symptoms seem to grow in the colder months, tell the coordinator and the doctor. Send the scans you already have, and the doctor will say what stage the cartilage is at and whether an injection plan is realistic, or whether the joint is already too worn for it.

Waiting lists and conventional care: where a non-surgical option fits

The public figures for Spain's national health system at the end of 2025 help to put the options in context. For hip replacement the average wait was 98 days, and 13.7 % of patients exceeded the maximum period of 180 days. For knee replacement the average was 105 days, with 15.9 % beyond 180 days.

Seeing a specialist first can take time as well. Nationally, the average wait for a first specialist consultation was 102 days, and Traumatology had the longest consultation wait of any specialty, 132 days. Andalusia as a whole reported 173 days of average surgical waiting, compared with 121 days for Spain overall. In Traumatology alone, 42,247 patients in the region were waiting for an operation, with an average of 187 days.

These numbers say nothing about the quality of care. They simply show that time can pass between the first symptoms and a definitive decision, and cartilage wear does not stop in the meantime. Some people use that time to seek a second opinion on their scans. Others want to explore whether the joint can be kept rather than replaced.

Treatment with SVF and PRP is an option aimed at keeping your own joint. It works best in early or moderate osteoarthritis, before the joint surfaces are badly worn. In advanced cases the doctor will tell you frankly if a joint replacement is more realistic, and that honest assessment is the main purpose of the free scan review.

From your scans to the injection: how the process is organised for a Cordoba resident

The first step is a free online consultation. Send your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram, where coordinators reply round the clock, and the doctor will review them without obligation to book anything. X-ray remains the main method for showing the stage, MRI gives a detailed picture of cartilage and soft tissues, ultrasound shows inflammation and fluid, and blood tests help rule out inflammatory diseases.

If the doctor considers the treatment suitable, the procedure follows several steps. A small blood sample is taken for platelet-rich plasma. Under local anaesthetic, about 30 ml of adipose tissue is collected through a puncture on the abdomen or the inner thigh, and stitches are not needed. The samples are spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and blended with the plasma, and the material is injected into the affected joint under ultrasound guidance. Only your own blood and adipose tissue are used, nothing donor or synthetic. The whole procedure is done in one day, with no crutches and no hospital stay.

The timeline after the procedure is gradual. In the first week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases, at roughly three months mobility and activity improve, and at around six months the full effect develops. How long it lasts differs from person to person and depends on the stage, body weight and activity, so no fixed result can be promised. Osteoarthritis is chronic, so the doctor builds an ongoing plan rather than a one-off injection and stays in contact afterwards.

Some conditions rule the treatment out: cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infections including infection in or near the joint, and a flare-up of a serious chronic illness. A raised temperature, a cold or flu, or inflamed skin above the target joint are temporary reasons to wait. Mention any of these in your first message.

Does the climate in Cordoba affect osteoarthritis?

Cartilage wear is caused by load, age, previous injury and body weight, not by the weather. Some people notice more stiffness after rest on cool or damp mornings. Cordoba's January averages 15.2 °C at the maximum and 3.7 °C at the minimum, and December has humidity of 78 %. If your symptoms vary with the seasons, tell the doctor during the consultation, because the pattern can help to separate wear from inflammation.

Can I send scans I already had done in Spain?

Yes. X-ray, MRI, ultrasound and blood test results can all be sent to the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram, and the doctor reviews them free of charge. The review gives an independent opinion on the stage of osteoarthritis and says whether a non-surgical plan is realistic for your joint.

Does being overweight change what the doctor recommends?

Body weight is one of the factors that influence how long the effect lasts, along with the stage of the condition and the level of activity. In Spain, 53.6 % of adults are above normal weight according to the 2020 national health survey. The doctor will not judge you for it. Weight control and suitable exercise are simply part of a realistic plan alongside the injections.

I am waiting for a hip or knee replacement. Should I ask for an opinion in the meantime?

You can. National figures at the end of 2025 show an average wait of 98 days for hip prostheses and 105 days for knee prostheses. A second opinion on your scans does not commit you to anything. If the joint is early or moderate, the doctor may suggest SVF and PRP. If it is badly worn, the doctor will say honestly that a replacement may be more realistic.

Is osteoarthritis really that common in Spain?

According to the 2020 national health survey, it is the third most frequently diagnosed chronic problem in people aged 15 and over, reported by 14.4 %. Only high blood pressure (19.0 %) and high cholesterol (15.3 %) were reported more often. Joint wear is therefore a very ordinary reason to seek advice, and early assessment makes a real difference.

Is the colder part of the year a bad time to have the treatment?

There is no rule about seasons in the information the doctor works from. What matters is your condition on the day. A raised temperature, a cold or flu, or inflamed skin over the joint are temporary reasons to postpone. Colds are more common in winter, so mention any such symptoms to the coordinator before a date is agreed.

Can I keep up my usual activity while I plan treatment?

Gentle, regular activity is recommended, such as swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking or yoga. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are best avoided. If you have heavy physical work or play sport, describe the load in your message so that the doctor can take it into account.

Will the treatment replace the need for any care from my regular doctors?

No. The doctor works with your scans and test results and keeps in contact with you after the procedure, but osteoarthritis is a chronic condition that needs an ongoing plan. Keep your usual doctors informed about what you decide, particularly if you take medicines for other conditions.