Low-dose radiation therapy shows promise for osteoarthritis knee pain

Researchers are testing low-dose radiation to treat painful symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.

The study, published by Korean researchers and presented at the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in September, suggests that a single course of radiation therapy may be a “safe and effective” treatment option.

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative joint disease causing pain, swelling and stiffness in the knees that gets worse over time.

MORE PEOPLE ARE TURNING TO ACUPUNCTURE FOR BACK PAIN AS STUDY SHOWS RELIEF

The randomized clinical trial enrolled 114 patients with moderate to mild knee osteoarthritis, each receiving a very low dose of radiation, a low dose, or a placebo. The only other pain reliever used during the study was acetaminophen.

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative joint disease causing pain, swelling and stiffness in the knees that gets worse over time. (iStock)

Participants completed six sessions during which researchers assessed “significant improvement” in at least two of the following markers: pain, physical function and overall condition assessment.

Patients also completed a questionnaire to report pain, stiffness and function. None of them recorded any treatment-related side effects.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

After four months of treatment, 70% of participants who received a low dose met the criteria, compared to 42% in the placebo group. Those in the very low dose group saw a 58.3% improvement.

These results suggest that the low-dose regimen “resulted in relief beyond placebo effects,” the experts noted in a press release.

One researcher suggested that radiation therapy could delay the need for joint replacement. (iStock)

In the low-dose group, 56.8% experienced significant improvements in pain, stiffness and physical function scores, compared to 30.6% in the placebo group.

The study concluded that low-dose radiation led to a significant reduction in pain and improvement in function after four months, a “small fraction” of what is typically used to treat cancer.

“For people with mild to moderate disease, this approach could delay the need for joint replacement.”

Dr. Byoung Hyuck Kim, principal investigator of the trial and assistant professor of radiation oncology at Seoul National University School of Medicine, Boramae Medical Center, noted that people with painful knee osteoarthritis “often face a difficult choice” between the risk of side effects from pain medications and the risks of joint replacement surgery.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“There is a clinical need for moderate interventions between weak analgesics and aggressive surgery, and we believe that radiotherapy may be an appropriate option for these patients, particularly when medications and injections are poorly tolerated,” he said in a statement.

Other lifestyle factors, such as weight loss, should be considered when considering low-dose irradiation as a treatment, the researchers say. (iStock)

Radiation therapy may be better suited to patients with underlying inflammation and preserved joint structure, Kim added.

“For severe osteoarthritis, where the joint is physically destroyed and the cartilage is already gone, radiation therapy will not regenerate the tissue,” he said. “But for people with mild to moderate disease, this approach could delay the need for joint replacement.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

This treatment should also be considered alongside other lifestyle factors, including weight loss, physical therapy and medications, because responses could be “even stronger when radiation therapy is properly combined with other treatments,” Kim said.

“And patient satisfaction could be higher than with current options alone.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The study had some limitations, the researchers confirmed, including the relatively short follow-up period.

Researchers are planning larger trials to evaluate results in specific groups of people, comparing low-dose radiation injections with drug regimens.