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Radiation Therapy Eases Knee Arthritis Pain
30 Sep
Summary
- Low-dose radiation improved pain and function in knee arthritis patients.
- Study shows radiation slowed joint deterioration over nearly 12 years.
- Fewer knee replacements and less disability seen in treated patients.
Low doses of targeted radiation may offer relief for arthritic knees and could slow the disease's advancement. A study involving nearly 300 patients in Russia tracked individuals with knee osteoarthritis for almost 12 years, with some receiving radiation treatment.
Participants experienced lasting relief from pain and improved function. MRI scans revealed less deterioration in joints, and over time, fewer patients reported disability and required knee replacements, especially those with grade 2 osteoarthritis.
This findings suggest that radiation therapy, which can reduce local inflammation known to worsen arthritis, might influence the longer course of osteoarthritis. The therapy did not appear to increase cancer risk, with no radiation reactions or cancers reported in treated areas during the follow-up period.
Further investigation through a multi-center randomized trial is planned to compare low-dose radiation against a sham procedure. Experts note that while current osteoarthritis treatments help manage symptoms, low-dose radiation shows potential to alter the disease's internal progression, supported by both patient-reported outcomes and measurable MRI differences.
