Cartilage Repair
Eleanor Hayes
Single-Session Cartilage Repair with STACi
Cartilage repair that once required two operations spanning three to six months is now completed in a single operative session lasting 2.5–4 hours through STACi.
Lipogems are a revolutionary new treatment in the world of regenerative medicine for treating orthopaedic conditions. It works by taking fat tissue from your body and processing it into a unique substance with your natural repair cells. This is then injected into the affected area to enhance healing and provide support within the joint. Book a consultation with one of our specialists to discuss Lipogems for your specific needs.
Reviewed byProf Paul Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDLast reviewed 1 May 2026How Lipogems works
from harvest to injection
Lipogems is an outpatient regenerative procedure that uses your own adipose tissue to create an injectable biological product for painful joints.
- Fat tissue is harvested under local anaesthetic.
- Processing removes unwanted components while preserving regenerative elements.
- Prepared Lipogems is injected into the target area using image guidance.
Because the treatment is autologous, biocompatibility is typically high and recovery is usually quicker than many surgical alternatives.
Benefits of Lipogems
at London Cartilage Clinic
Lipogems is often selected by patients who want a minimally invasive pathway for osteoarthritis or soft-tissue related joint pain.
- Single-session outpatient treatment in most cases.
- Local anaesthetic approach with limited procedural downtime.
- Supports natural repair signalling from your own biological tissue.
- May delay or reduce need for more invasive surgery in selected patients.
At London Cartilage Clinic, every Lipogems plan is customised using specialist assessment to ensure the treatment matches your diagnosis, symptom pattern, and activity goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is suitable for Lipogems?
Lipogems can be a highly beneficial treatment for individuals who are suffering with osteoarthritis, have had a sports-related injury, or have other issues that are affecting their ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Lipogems for knees is particularly common with impressive results being generated from the use of Lipogems to treat knee injuries and conditions.
What is the aftercare like for Lipogems?
It’s normal to experience some swelling and soreness following your Lipogem injection. This should subside fairly quickly but can be managed with painkillers and rest in the meantime. You should start to see improvements to your symptoms between two and eight weeks, but exact results will vary depending on the severity of the injury or condition being treated and how the patient’s body responds.
Are there alternative treatments to Lipogems?
There are other treatment options available for joint pain, conditions and injuries including alternative injections like PRP injections, Stem Cell / Medicinal Signaling Cell therapy, and Arthrosamid. These minimally invasive procedures are some of the best ways to avoid more serious surgeries like a full knee or hip replacement.
What is in a Lipogem injection?
Lipogems are created from fat tissue which is extracted from the patient having the injection. Unwanted elements are then removed from the fat to allow the substance to facilitate healing.
Are Lipogems safe?
Yes. In fact, these injections have an extremely low chance of causing complication as they are formulated cells from the patient’s own body. There can be a possibility of an allergic reaction to the local anaesthetic issued during the procedure.
What can Lipogems be used to treat?
There are a wide range of conditions and injuries that can be treated using Lipogems injections. This includes joint pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel, rotator cuff injuries, and other degenerative bone diseases.
Still have more specific concerns?
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