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Gonarthrosis and Coxarthrosis Treatment in Nottingham

Knee, hip or another joint affected by arthrosis? SVF cell therapy and PRP, with a no-cost look at your X-rays or MRI to define 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 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

Only a doctor, after an examination and a review of scans, decides whether this 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 flu, skin inflammation over the joint to be treated

Not sure the treatment is right for you?

Leave your number — the coordinator will ask for your scans (X-ray, MRI or ultrasound), and the doctor will tell you whether treatment without surgery suits you.

Find out if it suits me

What we treat

Conditions we treat

How it works

How the procedure goes: step by step

Consultation and scan review1

Consultation and scan review

The doctor decides whether the procedure suits you after examining the joint and reviewing X-rays, MRI or ultrasound. Scans you already have can be sent ahead of your visit.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

Blood is taken from a vein in a small amount. Later, platelet-rich plasma containing growth factors is prepared 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 goes into a centrifuge and divides into layers; the stromal vascular fraction is taken out and mixed with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

Ultrasound guidance allows the prepared material to be injected directly and precisely into the affected joint.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No crutches, no stay in hospital. The doctor keeps in contact after the procedure and watches how your 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

Nothing synthetic, nothing from donors — only your own blood and adipose tissue are used

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

Processing a small portion of your adipose tissue yields the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a cell mix involved in tissue repair. The doctor combines it with your own plasma and injects it into the affected joint.

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

Most often it is applied in early and moderate osteoarthritis, helping slow the wear of cartilage and reduce friction in 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

We separate plasma rich in platelets and growth factors from a small blood sample and inject it into the joint. This helps quieten inflammation and supports better conditions for tissue repair.

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

Used often in mild osteoarthritis, it is added to SVF when a more pronounced 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

From large joints to small ones — which joint, which method and how many injections is decided after the doctor studies your scans

  • KneeKneeCartilage wearing down, meniscus problems, pain on stairs and after a walk
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain on raising the arm; wear of the joint and the tendons around it
  • ElbowElbowJoint surface wear and pain after overloading or sports strain
  • Hand and wrist jointsHand and wrist jointsPain and stiffness in the small joints of the wrist and fingers
  • AnkleAnklePain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

We aim to preserve your own joint rather than replace it, with treatment that avoids surgery

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

Nothing synthetic, nothing from donors — only your own blood and adipose tissue are used

No crutches

No crutches

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

Second opinion

Second opinion

A doctor will assess your X-rays, MRI or reports independently and free of charge — just send them

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

Because the cost varies with the joint, the osteoarthritis stage and the method, the doctor names 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 Nottingham: what you should know

The stage matters most. At early and moderate stages, SVF and PRP injections aim to ease pain, reduce friction between the joint surfaces and slow cartilage wear. At the most advanced stage, the doctor will tell patients in Nottingham honestly if joint replacement is the more realistic option.

Osteoarthritis treatment in Nottingham 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 price depends on how many joints are treated and on the method. For patients from Nottingham, the doctor explains the plan and the cost at a free consultation before any procedure.

Who is most exposed to cartilage wear, and why age is only part of the answer

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK, according to the NHS. The risk rises with age, is higher in women than in men, and is higher in people with obesity or a previous joint injury. A GP may begin to suspect it in people aged 45 or older. That is a useful marker, but it does not mean the condition waits for that birthday. A knee that was injured at 25 may start to ache and stiffen much earlier, and the cartilage lining does not need a certain age to thin.

Arthritis UK's 2026 report on musculoskeletal health says that over 10 million adults, young people and children in the UK live with arthritis. For someone in Nottingham, this means joint pain is not an unusual personal problem. It is one of the most widespread long-term conditions in the country, and a lot of people are working out what to do about it at the same time. The numbers also show why a clear assessment matters. "Arthritis" is used loosely in everyday speech, while the medical meaning differs. In osteoarthritis the cartilage wears slowly and the problem is degenerative. In inflammatory arthritis the joint itself is inflamed, with pain at rest and at night, swelling, redness and warmth, and morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes. The two call for different approaches, which is why the first step is always a diagnosis and not a choice of injection.

Population structure matters for how a city feels this condition. Nottingham is a compact city: about 325,765 residents (2025) in roughly 75 km², a density of 4,365 per km², in the East Midlands region. Almost 62,000 students attend its three universities, so the city has a young layer of residents alongside older ones. Young people rarely think of cartilage, yet the same city has many adults in the age band where GPs begin to consider osteoarthritis, and also many younger people returning to sport after an injury. The treatment described by the centre is aimed mostly at early and moderate stages, so it is relevant for anyone who has noticed pain, crunching or stiffness and does not want to wait until the joint is badly worn.

Body weight, the East Midlands and the knee

Weight is one of the factors that the NHS names for osteoarthritis, and the national figures are worth knowing. The Health Survey for England 2022, published by NHS Digital, found that 29% of adults were living with obesity and 64% were overweight or living with obesity. By region, obesity ranged from 39% in the North East to 21% in London, and the overweight-or-obese share ranged from 72% in Yorkshire and the Humber to 59% in London. Nottingham sits in the East Midlands, so it is part of a national picture and not an outlier in either direction. The honest reading is that many adults carry extra load on knees and hips every day.

The joints that bear the most weight are the knees (gonarthrosis) and the hips (coxarthrosis), followed by the ankle and the small joints of the hand. This is why weight comes up in every serious conversation about osteoarthritis. The doctor's text on the condition says that the extent and duration of any effect depend on the stage, body weight, activity and other factors, and that no one can promise a fixed result. We repeat this plainly: an injection of your own cells or plasma is not a replacement for load management. It is one element in a plan that usually includes exercise, control of weight and follow-up.

The NHS also links weight and joints in the other direction. Its guidance on weight loss surgery says it may be offered when BMI is 40 or more, or between 35 and 40 with a condition that might improve with weight loss, and arthritis is named among those conditions. It also says that lower BMI may be considered for some ethnic backgrounds, that the person must agree to lifestyle changes and check-ups, and that availability varies across areas of the UK. We mention this not to push anyone toward an operation but to show that joint wear and weight are treated as connected in national guidance. If you are in that situation, tell the coordinator in the first message so the doctor can take it into account when reviewing your scans.

Cold months, damp weather and the morning stiffness diary

Many people with osteoarthritis say that their joints feel worse in winter. Nobody should claim that weather causes cartilage wear, and the doctor's text does not say so. What we can do is describe the Nottingham year and suggest how to use it to track your symptoms.

The Met Office figures for 1991-2020, measured at Watnall about 5.6 miles north-west of the centre, show that January is the coldest month, with an average maximum of 6.9 °C and a minimum of 1.7 °C. February has the same average minimum. The year brings on average 36.9 days of air frost. Annual precipitation is 715.6 mm over 125.9 days, and the wettest months are October (71.7 mm), December (69.6 mm) and November (69.5 mm). December is also the dullest month, with 55.3 hours of sunshine against 191.5 hours in May and July. In short, the dark, damp and cold stretch runs from late autumn to February, and it is also the period when people move less and when a stiff joint is most noticeable after a sit-down.

The summer is mild by comparison. July is the warmest month, with an average maximum of 21.5 °C and a minimum of 12.4 °C, and about 11 days a year reach 25 °C or above. Watnall recorded 39.8 °C on 19 July 2022, a reminder that heat can also be hard on someone who is swollen or short of breath when moving.

A practical suggestion: for three or four weeks before the consultation, keep a short note each morning. Write down how long the joint takes to loosen up, which activities hurt (stairs, walking, getting out of a car) and whether the weather seemed to matter. This is not a medical test, but it helps the doctor distinguish the pattern of osteoarthritis (aching pain on movement, crunching, stiffness after rest) from inflammatory arthritis (pain at rest and at night, swelling, redness, warmth). Send the notes with your X-ray, MRI or ultrasound reports and the coordinator will pass everything to the doctor.

Running, football grounds and heavy work: joint load in a river-valley city

Nottingham lies on low hills along the lower valley of the River Trent, with Sherwood Forest to the north, and its two football grounds face each other across the river. The city's sporting calendar includes the Nottingham Trophy tennis tournament, the Robin Hood Marathon and the Outlaw Triathlon. Anyone who trains for such events, or who simply plays regularly at weekends, puts repeated load through the knees, hips and ankles.

The treatment text lists "high load on the joints, such as sport or physical work" among the situations where the method may suit a person, together with recovery after injuries and surgery. It also lists meniscus pathology and injury among the conditions treated. This matters for runners and footballers, because a meniscus problem and cartilage wear often develop side by side: the knee hurts after walking or on stairs, and an old injury is part of the story. The ankle is another example. The text mentions pain and stiffness after sprains and old injuries, which many sporty adults will recognise.

What does the method involve? The material is only your own blood and adipose tissue, with nothing donor or synthetic. A small amount of blood is taken from a vein, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is prepared from it. For the cell therapy (SVF), the doctor collects roughly 30 ml of adipose tissue under local anaesthetic through a puncture on the abdomen or inner thigh, with no stitches needed. The sample is spun in a centrifuge, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and blended with the plasma, and the mixture is injected into the joint under ultrasound guidance. The whole procedure is done in one day. There are no crutches and no hospital stay.

The text also gives some advice on activity. Suitable exercise builds the muscles that unload the joint and keeps you moving: swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking or yoga. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are best avoided. If you are a marathon runner with a sore knee, the doctor will want to see the scans before saying anything about your training, and the plan you receive will say whether PRP alone, or SVF with PRP, is more suitable.

National guidance, waiting times and where an online consultation fits

NHS information on hip replacement says it may be considered when hip pain and stiffness have a big effect on daily life and other treatments have not worked. Osteoarthritis is named as the leading cause, followed by rheumatoid arthritis and hip injury. For rheumatoid arthritis, the NHS says there is no cure: treatment means long-term medicine to relieve symptoms and slow progress, plus physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and surgery can fix joint problems that develop. This is a different disease from osteoarthritis, but the logic is similar, with a long-term plan and not a single quick fix.

Waiting is a real issue in England. NHS England's press notice of 10 September 2026 reports 7.3 million referral-to-treatment pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of July 2026, around 6.2 million unique patients, and 111,379 of them had waited more than 52 weeks. We do not comment on why, and we do not say that anyone should skip their GP. The point is practical. If you are waiting for an orthopaedic appointment, an extra opinion on your own scans costs you nothing and does not interfere with your place in the NHS queue. The review of existing X-rays, MRI or ultrasound is free, and the doctor will say frankly if, in your case, a joint replacement is the more realistic option.

On coverage, be clear on what is what. The NHS states that cosmetic surgery is not routinely provided and that most people who want it pay privately. That statement is about cosmetic procedures, not joint care, so it should not be applied to osteoarthritis. The doctor quotes the cost of our treatment only after the consultation, since it depends on the joint, the method and the stage. If you have private health insurance, ask your insurer in advance whether an online consultation or a regenerative injection is covered, because policies differ and we cannot say in general.

The consultation is online and the coordinators answer around the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, which suits people who work shifts or study. England and Wales have eight bank holidays in 2026, including Christmas Day on 25 December and the substituted Boxing Day on 28 December, and messages are still answered on those days. Replies usually arrive within 15 minutes.

What to prepare before you message, and what the weeks afterwards look like

Preparation is simple. Collect any X-ray, MRI or ultrasound reports you already have, plus any blood tests, and photograph or scan them clearly. Write a few lines on which joint hurts, for how long, what you have already tried, and whether painkillers only help for a short time. Mention injuries and previous operations, and say if you have any of the conditions listed as not suitable: cancer, pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, acute infection (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 over the target joint. In Nottingham's long, damp autumn and winter, colds are common, so tell the coordinator if you are unwell, as the date may need to move.

After the procedure the doctor stays in touch and follows the response. The service text gives these timings as averages for guidance. After about a week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After around a month the pain usually eases. By roughly three months mobility and activity improve, and around six months the full effect develops. How long the effect lasts varies from person to person and depends on the stage, body weight, activity and other factors. Because osteoarthritis is chronic, it needs an ongoing plan and not a one-off injection.

Does the cold and damp Nottingham winter make osteoarthritis worse?

The medical text does not link weather to cartilage wear, so we cannot say it causes damage. Many people simply notice more stiffness in the cold months. In Nottingham, January averages a maximum of 6.9 °C and a minimum of 1.7 °C, and there are about 36.9 days of air frost a year. Keeping a short morning note for several weeks helps the doctor see your pattern when reviewing your scans.

Is it better to have the consultation before or after the winter?

There is no season in which the stage of the joint is paused. The doctor assesses the stage from your scans, and the earlier the stage, the better the treatment tends to work. Treatment plans are not tied to the weather, but if you have a cold, flu or a raised temperature, the procedure has to wait until you are well.

I am on an NHS waiting list for my hip or knee. Can I still ask for a second opinion?

Yes. Sending your X-rays, MRI or reports for a free review does not change your place on any list. NHS England reported 7.3 million pathways waiting at the end of July 2026, so many people are in the same position. The doctor will tell you honestly whether a non-surgical plan is appropriate or whether a joint replacement looks more realistic.

Does the NHS cover this type of treatment?

The NHS information we rely on describes hip replacement for severe osteoarthritis and says cosmetic procedures are not routinely provided. It does not describe SVF or PRP injections, so we cannot tell you they are covered. The doctor quotes the cost after the consultation. If you have private health insurance, check with your insurer before booking.

I am overweight. Is the treatment still an option?

Body weight is one of the factors that affect how long any result lasts, as the doctor's text says, but it is not listed among the reasons the treatment is unsuitable. Overweight is common in England: 64% of adults were overweight or living with obesity in 2022. Tell the coordinator, and the doctor will take it into account together with the stage on your scans.

I run or play football in Nottingham. Will I have to stop?

The treatment text lists sport and physical work as high joint load, and it advises avoiding running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements while the joint is affected. It recommends swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking and yoga. The doctor will say what suits your joint after seeing your scans, so ask directly at the consultation.

Can a student or someone working shifts arrange the consultation?

Yes. The consultation is online and coordinators reply round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, usually within 15 minutes. You can send scans at any hour and agree a time for the doctor that fits your timetable. Nearly 62,000 students study in Nottingham, and the same arrangement works for them and for shift workers.

How soon after the procedure will I notice a change?

According to the average timings given, the joint may ache a little more for about a week, pain usually eases after around a month, mobility improves at about three months, and the full effect develops at around six months. Some patients notice early changes after 2–3 weeks. It differs from person to person, and no one can promise a fixed result.