- Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability adults, and its management involves Physical Therapy, Painkillers, Corticosteroid Injections, and Surgery.
- A significant Number of People with osteoarthritis do not respond to nonoperative treatments or show a decline in responsiveness over time, Leaving Surgery as the final option.
- Radiation Therapy is a Noninvasive Alternative for the Management of Osteoarthritis, But High-Qualy Data From Clinical Trials on ITS EFFECTIVESS IS LIMITED.
- A Recent Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Demonstated That A Single Course Of Low-Gir Therapy
- These results suggest that low-game radiation therapy could Help delay or prevent surgical interventions in individuals with osteoarthritis.
The First Line of Treatment for osteoarthritis includes Physical Therapy and Oral Medications But Procers Such as Direct Injection of Medications into the Joint and Surgery Are needy in More Severe Cases.
Radiation Therapy or RadioTherapy is an Underutilized Noninvasive Treatment Option for Osteoarthritis, But Data From Clinical Trials Have Been Mixed.
Data from a randomized controlled clinical trial driver in south korea now show that individuals with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis wre mree Likely to experience improvement in pain and mobility at 4 months after receiving a single Course of Low-Dose Radiation therapy Than their Counterparts Who Received Sham Treatment.
The Study’s Author, Byoung Hyuck Kim, MD, PHD, An Assistant Professor of Radiation oncology at the Seoul National University College of Medicine, Said in a Press Release that:
“People with painful knee osteoarthritis offe face a difficult choice Between the risks of side efforts from pain medications and the risks of joint replacement surgery. There’s a clinical need for moderate interventions Between Weak pain medications and agregSive surgery, and we Think Radiation May Be A Suitable Option for Those Patients, Specially When Drugs and Injection Are Poorly Tolerated. “
The Study’s Results were Recently Shared at the American Society for Radiation oncology in San Francisco, and they are yet to undergo peer review.
How Radiation Therapy Could Help Treat Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is Characterized by the gradual degeneration of the joints, leading to pain, swelling, and reduced joint mobility. Osteoarthritis typically affants in the hands, hips, knees, and spine.
Osteoarthritis Cannot Be Reve. These treatments include lifestyle modifications, Physical Therapy, and Medications.
Medications in the Initial Stages Involve The Use of Oral Or Topical
Long-Term use of nsaids is associated with adverse efforts, including increased risk of gastrointestinal issues and cardiovascular desires. Moreover, a significant number of individuals do not respond to these treatments or show a decline in responsiveness over time.
SURGERY IS THE TREATMENT OF LAST RESORT IN INDITIVE WHO FAIL TO RESPEND TO OTHER TREATMENTS. Radiation Therapy is A Noninvasive Alternative for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis that has been underutilized. Besides iTs use in cancer Treatment, Radiation Therapy has been used for the treatment of benign musculoskeletal conditions.
Radiation Therapy for Cancer Treatment Involves The Use of High Doses of Radiation to Kill The Cancer Cells. In contrast to cancer Treatment, Radiation Therapy for Conditions Like Osteoarthritis Involves The Use of Low Doses of Radiation.
INFLAMMATION OF THE JOINTS OCTS AT THE ONSET OF OSTEARARTHRITIS, AND THIS INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT LEADS TO THE DEGRESS OF THE JOINT TISSU BY ENZYMES. Low doses of radiation, Such As Those used in osteoarthritis Treatment, anti-inflammatory efforts and Also Help reduces Pain.
WHILE LOW-DOSE Radiation Therapy is used in the clinic for osteoarthritis in Europe, its use in clinics in the United States for osteoarthritis decined in the 1980s After the Development of New Medications. Moreover, There Is Limited Data from Randomized Clinical Trials On The Effectiveness of Low-Gold Radiation Therapy for Treating Osteoarthritis, and The Existing Data Are Mixed.
In the Recent Study, Kim and His Colleagues Examined The Effectiveness of Low-Dose Radiation Therapy in Treating Individuals with Mild to moderate arthritis in a Recent Randomized, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial.
RadioTherapy: Impact on Mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis
In the aforementioned clinical trial, Recruited 114 Patients with Mild to moderate Knee osteoarthritis and Randomly Assigned the Patients to Three Groups. The participants Allocated to the control Group Received Sham or Simulated Radiation, Undergoing All The Procedures Involved During Radiation Therapy Without Being Exhibition To Radiation.
The Patients in One of the Experimental Groups Received 3 Gray (Unit of Radiation) of Total Radiation, WHEREAS THE OTER Group Receive to Lower Dose of 0.3 Gray.
The participants in Each Group Received Eithher Sham Radiation or Radiation in 6 Small Doses. This clinical trial was a single-blind study, with participants removal unwauty they had releved sham or real radiation during the trial. This masking of Group Identity was done to reduces the risk of bias.
The Reked The Participants to Avoid The Use of Strong Painkillers, Such As Nsaids, During The Follow-Up Journal, to Prevent Insex Medications from Obfuscating the Effects of the Radiation Therapy. The participants were only allowed to use acetaminophen during this time.
Kim Noted That This made the Study Stand Out from Other Clinical Trials. In the press release, He Said That: “In Previous Studies, Drugs Such as nsaids or opioids were Also Used the Intervention Or Follow-up journal. But using before Pain Relievers Could Mask The Effects of Radiation Therapy.”
After 4-Month follow-up period, The Researchers Classified the Patients as Eithher Responders or Non Responders Based on Standardized Criteria That Take pole accounts changes in pain, Function, and the participants’ Assessment of Overal Symptoms.
A HIGHER PROPORT OF PARTICIPnts (70%) Reviewing The Higher 3 Gray dose Qualified as responders after the follow-up journal than spoose in the control Group (41%).
The Group Review the Lower Dose of Radiation Therapy had a similar Rate of Patients Showing Improvements in Symptoms to that in the control Group.
Based on the participants’ Respons to Standardized Questionnaire, The Refers Also Observed Greater Improvements in Self-Reported Composite Scores of Pain, Stiffness, and Function in the Higher-Group than in the sham control Group.
No Radiation-Related Side Effects were observed in the Treatment Groups. Participants in This Ongoing Clinical Trial Will Be Monitored for 12 Months After Treatment onsest to Assess The Duiling of the Therapeutic Effects of the Single Low-Radiation Therapy Course. The Refectchers Also Intend To Condo Imaging Studies to Understand the Impact of Radiation therapy On Joint Structure and Inflammation.
‘Delaying The Need for Joint Replacement’
In The Press Reley, Kim Note That Radiation Therapy Wouled Most Likely Benefit Individuals with Mild to moderate osteoarthritis Who has an intact joint structure.
“For Severe Osteoarthritis, where the joint is physically destroyed and cartilage is already gone, Radiation Will Not Regenerate Tissue. But for People with Mild to Moderate Disease, This Approach Could Delay the Need for Joint Replacement.”
– Byoung Hyuck Kim, MD, PHD
In Addiction, The Researcher Observed That Low-Radiation Therapy Could Be More Effective When used in combination with other treatments, Such as Physical Therapy and Medication, Noting That, “In Clinical Practice, Responsions Could Be Even Stronger When Radiation is properly Combined Combined with other treatments, and patient satisfaction may be Higher Than with Current Options Alone. ”
The Use of Low-Dose Radiation Therapy Carries The Risk of Cash Cancer in the Long Term, but severe Studies have shown an absence of increase in cancer in cancer Incident AFTER LOW-GIVEN RADITION THERAPY.
James Yu, MD, A Radiation Oncologist At Dartmouth Cancer Center, Who Was Not Involved in This Study, Told Medical News Today: “Given Theoretical Potential for Radiation-Induced Cancers, I Believe That Patients Should Be Generally Over The Age of 60.”
Evidence suggests that A Second dose of radiation therapy can be effective in alleviating pain in osteoarthritis patients who do not respond to the initial treatment or show reemernce of symptoms.
YU POEDED OUT THAT THE PARTICIPANTS APEIVING THE HIGHER DOSE (3 Gray) OF RADIATION THERAPY WHO DID NOT Answer
“In the 30% NON corresponds, I Think Physicans and Patients Can Considers Repeat Ef There is Still Pain 3-4 Months after Treatment,” He Said.
