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Gonarthrosis and Coxarthrosis Treatment in Zurich

PRP and SVF cell therapy for the knee, hip and other arthritic joints, plus a free X-ray or MRI review to see which stage you are at

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

Whether the treatment suits you is decided by a doctor after an examination and a review of 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: flu or a cold, fever, or skin inflammation over the joint being 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 checks the joint, studies your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound and decides if this procedure fits your case. If scans are already done, send them before the visit.

Blood sample for PRP2

Blood sample for PRP

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

Adipose tissue sample3

Adipose tissue sample

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

In a centrifuge the sample separates into layers; the stromal vascular fraction is isolated and combined with the platelet-rich plasma.

Injection into the joint5

Injection into the joint

The material is injected directly into the affected joint, guided by ultrasound for precise placement.

Follow-up6

Follow-up

No crutches and no hospital stay. The doctor stays in touch after the procedure and follows 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

The treatment relies solely on your own blood and adipose tissue — no donor or synthetic material

Cell therapy (SVF) from your own adipose tissue

First a small sample of adipose tissue is processed to isolate the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) — cells involved in tissue repair. This fraction, combined with your plasma, is then injected into the affected joint.

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

Doctors use it chiefly in early and moderate osteoarthritis, aiming to slow cartilage wear and cut 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

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

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

For mild osteoarthritis it is often used alone, and with SVF when the effect needs to be stronger.

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

Treatment for both large and small joints — your scans guide the doctor's choice of joint, method and number of injections

  • KneeKneePain after walking and climbing stairs, worn cartilage, meniscus problems
  • HipHipEarly hip osteoarthritis, groin pain, limited rotation
  • ShoulderShoulderPain when raising the arm, wear of the joint and surrounding tendons
  • ElbowElbowPain after sports strain or overuse, plus wear of the 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

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

Your own tissue

Your own tissue

The treatment relies solely on your own blood and adipose tissue — no donor or synthetic material

No crutches

No crutches

Punctures, not incisions; local anaesthetic; no prolonged 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 contact once the procedure is done and follow the result beyond 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 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

How osteoarthritis is treated without surgery for Zurich residents

For patients from Zurich, the aim is to keep your own joint as long as possible. The milder the stage, the faster and longer-lasting the effect usually is, and it may reduce the need for regular hyaluronic acid injections.

During the first week the joint may ache a little more — this is an expected reaction. Pain usually eases over the first month, and mobility improves over about three months. Patients from Zurich go home the same day.

Book a free consultation in Zurich to find out whether SVF or PRP could slow your osteoarthritis. The doctor names the price after examining the joint.

Hills, a lake and the load on your knees

Zurich sits at the lower, northern end of Lake Zurich. The Limmat flows out of the lake, and the Sihl joins it at the Platzspitz. The city stands at 409 m above sea level, and its height range runs from 391 m to 870 m on the Uetliberg. That is a modest range on paper. For a person with a worn knee, though, a city that rises and falls like this matters, because every uphill street and every descent loads the joint in a different way.

Osteoarthritis is the slow, chronic wear of the cartilage lining the joint. Healthy cartilage softens impact. When it thins, the bones rub on each other, and the joint hurts, stiffens and moves less. It is a degenerative disease, not an inflammatory one, although flare-ups with swelling do happen. The knees (gonarthrosis) and hips (coxarthrosis) are affected most, because they carry the greatest load. The ankle and the small joints of the hand follow.

In a city of 440,935 people, that load comes from many directions. Some residents work on their feet. Others sit for hours and then climb a slope on the way home. Some train hard in their spare time. Body weight, activity and the stage of the disease all influence how a joint responds to treatment. Our coordinators therefore ask about your ordinary week before they ask about your scans: how many stairs you take, whether you stand at work, and what sport you still do.

The treatment we describe is non-surgical. It uses SVF (the stromal vascular fraction from your own adipose tissue) and PRP (platelet-rich plasma from your own blood). Both are injected into the joint under ultrasound. Your own blood and adipose tissue are the only materials used, with nothing donor or synthetic. It works best at an early or moderate stage, before the joint surfaces are badly worn. In advanced cases the doctor will tell you frankly if a joint replacement is the more realistic path.

The online consultation is free, and the doctor reviews your X-rays, MRI or ultrasound without charge. You can send scans you already have before the conversation. Coordinators answer round the clock on WhatsApp and Telegram, so you can write when it suits you, including after a long day when the knee hurts most.

Frost days, short winter light and the stiff morning joint

Zurich's mean annual temperature is 9.9 °C. January averages 1.0 °C, with a mean maximum of 3.8 °C and a mean minimum of −1.9 °C. February nights are slightly colder, at −2.2 °C on average. In a typical year there are about 87 frost days and about 16 ice days, and the mean relative humidity is 77.7%.

Sunshine follows the same pattern. The annual total is 1,662 hours, or 4.5 hours a day on average. July reaches 7.6 hours a day, while December falls to 1.3 hours and January to 1.6 hours. Rain falls on about 125 days a year, and the annual total is 1,021 mm.

We cannot claim that cold or damp causes cartilage wear. Osteoarthritis is a wear process, and the weather does not create it. What many patients describe is a change in how the joint feels. After a long stretch of inactivity, a joint with worn cartilage often shows crunching and stiffness. Short days with little light give fewer reasons to go outside and move. If that sounds familiar, the winter months are a good time to ask for a review, because you have the time to plan.

A useful distinction comes from the treatment plan. In osteoarthritis the pain is aching and comes with movement, with crunching and stiffness after rest. In arthritis the joint is inflamed, so there is pain at rest and at night, swelling, redness and warmth. Morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes points more towards an inflammatory condition. Because the treatment approach differs, diagnosis comes first. Describe your mornings to the coordinator in your own words. The doctor will use that, together with your scans, to separate the two pictures.

Exercise is still advised in the cold season. Suitable activity builds the muscles that unload the joint, feeds the cartilage better and keeps you moving. Good options are swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Nordic walking and yoga. Running on hard surfaces, jumping, heavy lifting and sudden movements are best avoided. On an icy morning with a frosty pavement, cycling indoors or a pool session is usually kinder to a painful knee than a hurried walk on slippery ground.

Summer water, big crowds and long standing days

Summer in Zurich is warm. The mean daily maximum is 23.1 °C in June, 25.1 °C in July and 24.7 °C in August. There are about 51 summer days and 11–12 hot days a year. Long light evenings invite activity, and for people with early osteoarthritis that is both good and tricky.

Water-based activity is gentle on the joints. The Flussbad Oberer Letten on the Limmat has free entry, but it is suited only to good swimmers, and swimming takes place in the headrace canal of the Letten power plant. For anyone whose knee or hip is unstable, a strong current is not the place to test a painful joint. A calmer pool or a swim in the lake gives the same unloading effect with less risk of a sudden twist.

Some dates in the city's calendar involve long periods on your feet. Sechseläuten falls on the third Monday of April, and the afternoon is a half holiday for city employees. It is a local custom, not a statutory holiday. The Street Parade is usually held on the second Saturday in August along Lake Zurich, with about 900,000 visitors (920,000 in 2023, and a record 1,100,000 in 2018). A day of standing, walking and being jostled in a dense crowd can leave a sensitive joint swollen the next morning. That reaction is expected after overloading, and it is not a reason to panic. If you notice that big event days always leave your knee or ankle worse for a week, mention it to the doctor, because it helps show how the joint tolerates load.

If you plan an injection procedure, consider the calendar. In the first week the joint may ache a little more, which is an expected reaction. After about a month the pain usually eases, and at around three months mobility and activity improve. The full effect develops at about six months. These are averages, and the doctor confirms the plan at the consultation. If you want to be at full activity for a spring event or an August weekend, it helps to start the conversation well ahead rather than a few days before.

How compulsory health insurance frames the conversation

In Switzerland, everyone staying in the country must have health insurance. The basic benefits (OKP) are identical nationwide for all insured people and cover illness, accident and maternity. Insurers must offer the basic plan to everyone, regardless of age or health status. For a person with a long-term joint problem, that means access to the basic plan does not depend on how your knees look on an MRI.

The system uses an annual deductible (the franchise) and a percentage co-payment up to a yearly cap. For inpatient stays, people not living with family members pay a daily contribution without time limit. There is no cost sharing for maternity services or for designated preventive measures. We do not quote figures here, because they change and depend on the plan you chose. Check your own policy documents for the numbers.

Two other points are relevant. Basic insurance does not generally pay for dental care, except in special exceptional cases. Since 2017, various complementary medicine therapies have been reimbursed. Neither statement tells you whether an SVF or PRP injection is covered by your particular insurer. We cannot promise that it is, and we will not pretend otherwise. The practical step is to ask your insurer in writing how it treats regenerative injections for joints, and to keep the answer with your documents.

The consultation itself is free and carries no obligation to book. The doctor quotes the cost of treatment only after reviewing your scans, because it depends on the joint, the method and the stage of osteoarthritis. Nothing is decided in advance. If you already have an offer for a joint replacement, a second opinion on your scans can help you compare the options calmly. You may still choose surgery, and the doctor will say plainly if a replacement is more realistic for your joint.

Preparing your scans and questions before the call

Good preparation makes the free consultation more useful. An X-ray remains the main method. It shows the stage, and doctors usually describe four stages, from early thinning of the cartilage to severe wear. MRI gives a detailed picture of cartilage and soft tissues. Ultrasound shows inflammation and fluid in the joint, and blood tests help rule out inflammatory diseases. If you already have any of these results, send them as they are, and the doctor will review them free of charge.

It also helps to write down a few things before the call:

- which joint hurts, and whether the pain comes on movement or at rest and at night

- how long the morning stiffness lasts

- how painkillers work for you, and whether they only help for a short time

- earlier injuries, such as sprains, meniscus trouble or past operations

- your body weight, your usual activity, and the physical demands of your work or sport

Tell the coordinator about anything that might rule out treatment. The service 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 reasons to wait include a raised temperature, a cold or flu, and inflamed skin above the target joint. In a damp, frosty month, a cold is easy to catch. If you fall ill shortly before a planned procedure, tell the coordinator rather than hoping it passes.

On the day itself, the steps are simple. A small amount of blood is taken from a vein. Under local anaesthetic, the doctor collects roughly 30 ml of adipose tissue through a puncture on the abdomen or the inner thigh, and no stitches are needed. The samples are spun in a centrifuge. The stromal vascular fraction is isolated and blended with the platelet-rich plasma. The material is then injected into the joint under ultrasound. The whole procedure is done in one day, with no crutches and no hospital stay, and the doctor keeps in touch afterwards.

Students and young adults are a large group in this city, with 28,476 at Universität Zürich in 2024 and 26,942 listed at ETH Zürich. If an old sports injury or ankle sprain is behind your pain, say so. Recovery after injuries and surgery is among the conditions we assess, and the doctor decides the joint, the method and the number of injections only after looking at your scans.

Does the cold season make osteoarthritis worse in Zurich?

Cold does not cause cartilage wear, because osteoarthritis is a slow degenerative process. Still, many people notice more stiffness and crunching after rest. Zurich has about 87 frost days and about 16 ice days a year, and December averages only 1.3 hours of sunshine a day. Less outdoor movement in those months can make a sensitive joint feel worse. Send your scans at any time of year, and the doctor will assess the stage regardless of the season.

Is winter or summer a better time to plan an injection procedure?

The doctor decides this after the consultation, and the service sets no season. What matters is timing against your plans. In the first week the joint may ache a little more, the pain usually eases after about a month, mobility improves at around three months and the full effect develops at about six months. If you want to be active by a particular date, such as the Street Parade weekend in August, start the conversation early. Postpone if you have a raised temperature, a cold or flu, or inflamed skin above the joint.

Will my Swiss basic insurance pay for SVF or PRP?

We cannot promise it will. Basic insurance (OKP) covers illness, accident and maternity with identical benefits nationwide, but it does not state how a given insurer treats regenerative joint injections. Ask your insurer in writing and keep the reply. The doctor quotes the treatment cost after the consultation, once the joint, method and stage are known. The consultation and scan review are free and carry no obligation.

What does the annual franchise mean for a long-term joint problem?

The franchise is the part of your yearly medical costs that you pay yourself before the insurer begins to share them. After that, a percentage co-payment applies up to a yearly cap. For a chronic condition like osteoarthritis, which needs a continuing plan rather than a one-off injection, it is worth checking which franchise level you chose. Look at your policy for the actual figures. We do not quote them here, because they depend on your plan.

Does the hilly terrain around Lake Zurich matter if I have knee osteoarthritis?

Uphill and downhill walking changes how the knee is loaded. The city stands at 409 m above sea level, and the terrain reaches 870 m on the Uetliberg. Steep descents are often harder on a worn knee than flat ground. Suitable alternatives include swimming, water aerobics, cycling and Nordic walking. Running on hard surfaces, jumping and heavy lifting are best avoided. Tell the doctor which activities provoke pain, and he or she will take that into account in the plan.

Is it safe to swim in the Limmat with a painful joint?

Swimming is generally a gentle activity for joints, but the Flussbad Oberer Letten is suited only to good swimmers. Swimming takes place in the headrace canal of the Letten power plant, where a current can twist an unstable knee or hip. If your joint is painful or unreliable, a calmer pool or a lake swim may be a more comfortable choice. Ask the doctor whether any activity should be limited in your case.

Can I send scans I already have from a Zurich hospital or practice?

Yes. X-rays, MRI, ultrasound and blood test results can be sent through the coordinator on WhatsApp or Telegram, and the doctor reviews them free of charge. The review establishes the stage of osteoarthritis and whether treatment without surgery is realistic. If a joint replacement looks more realistic, the doctor will say so openly. It also works as a second opinion if you have already been offered an operation.

Can large events and long standing days affect my joint?

A long day on your feet in a dense crowd can leave a worn joint swollen or sore the next morning, and an expected reaction to overloading is not unusual. Events such as the Street Parade, which usually draws about 900,000 visitors on the second Saturday in August, involve a lot of standing and walking. If your knee, hip or ankle reacts badly every time, tell the doctor. It shows how the joint tolerates load and helps shape the plan.