You may have more options than you think
At London Cartilage Clinic we follow a structured clinical framework across four areas of treatment. Understanding which combination applies to you starts with your joint.
Reviewed byProf Paul Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDLast reviewed 1 May 2026Every treatment we offer falls within this framework. Many span more than one area. Your consultation determines the right combination for your situation.
Protect what you have. Slow degeneration and manage symptoms with targeted injections and non-surgical treatments.
Fix specific damage. Surgical procedures that restore torn tissue, unstable ligaments, and structural problems.
Rebuild lost tissue. Advanced biological treatments that stimulate your body to grow new cartilage and repair itself.
When every alternative has been explored. Joint replacement as a last resort, not a first recommendation.
Each page shows every treatment we offer for that joint, organised by clinical approach.
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Not sure where to start? Speak to us directly.
Joint replacement is a proven, life-changing procedure. But it is permanent and irreversible. Once a joint is replaced, the biological options are no longer available.
Many patients are referred for replacement without being assessed for the treatments that could preserve, repair, or regenerate their joint first. Not because replacement is wrong, but because the clinic they visited may not offer the full range of alternatives.
At London Cartilage Clinic, replacement is always the last resort. We explore every viable alternative first, because the best outcome is keeping your own joint whenever possible.
Preserve, Repair, Regenerate, Replace is not a menu you pick from. It is a clinical framework that structures how we assess your joint and determine the best path forward.
Many treatments work across multiple areas. PRP supports both preservation and regeneration. Cartilage micrograft spans repair and regeneration. Some patients need a single targeted injection. Others benefit from a staged plan that combines two or three approaches over time.
This integrated approach means your treatment can evolve as your condition changes, without losing continuity or starting from scratch with a new provider.
The Preserve, Repair, Regenerate, Replace framework exists because Professor Lee built it. His background is unusual in orthopaedics: he is both a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and a medical engineer, with a PhD in Medical Engineering and over 50 peer-reviewed publications in cartilage science and regenerative medicine.
This dual perspective shapes everything at London Cartilage Clinic. Surgical decisions are informed by tissue biology. Biological treatments are guided by structural engineering principles. The result is a clinic that can offer what most cannot: the full spectrum of joint treatment, from the simplest injection to the most advanced cartilage regeneration, all delivered by a team that understands both sides.
Select your joint to see every treatment we offer, organised by clinical approach.
15+ treatments
8+ treatments
8+ treatments
10+ treatments
6+ treatments
6+ treatments
6+ treatments
6+ treatments
Or speak to us directly
You do not need to know before your consultation. The right treatment depends on the nature of your condition, the joint involved, your activity goals, and clinical factors that can only be assessed through examination and imaging. Your consultation with Professor Lee determines the best approach.
No. You can book a consultation directly without a GP or specialist referral. Many patients come to us for a second opinion after being told they need a joint replacement elsewhere.
A replacement recommendation from another clinic does not mean there are no other options. Many patients referred to us for a second opinion discover they are candidates for biological or regenerative treatments that can delay or avoid replacement entirely. We assess every patient individually.
Some treatments such as steroid injections and standard surgical procedures are available through the NHS, though waiting times can be significant. Many of our advanced biological and regenerative treatments, including ChondroFiller, STACi, and Arthrosamid, are not currently available on the NHS.
Absolutely. Many patients come to us simply to understand their options. The consultation is an assessment, not a commitment. You will leave with a clear picture of what is possible and can take as much time as you need to decide.
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Clinical updates, cartilage treatment guidance, and recovery-focused articles from our specialist team.
Liquid cartilage is an image-guided injectable collagen scaffold for carefully selected focal cartilage defects, not established osteoarthritis. Its role is to support joint preservation in the hip, knee and ankle while keeping microfracture, MACI and eventually fusion or replacement as the main options for advanced disease.
PRP knee injections tend to improve pain and function over 1–6 months rather than days, while ankle MFAT or Lipogems injections have only case-level evidence and suit mainly organised joints without major malalignment, collapse or unstable cartilage defects.
Night-time hip ache after load, an ankle that flares after sprains, and early knee osteoarthritis are usually mechanical problems rather than signs of cancer. Fewer than 20% of early knees worsen over 2–5 years, symptomatic primary ankle osteoarthritis is uncommon, and hip scans need clinical context because labral tears often appear in pain-free people.
