Despite its international clinical use, low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) is minimally used in the United States. Recent studies published outside the US have shown moderate to long-term pain relief and improved mobility after LDRT treatment for joints affected by OA.
This review of literature published on the use of LDRT in OA outlines epidemiology, pathophysiology, current treatments, and health care burden of OA within the US. It also provides a brief history of the historic use of LDRT in the US, discusses criticisms of LDRT, and provides an outline of treatment planning considerations and recommendations regarding dose and fractionation, energy, beam arrangements, and immobilization techniques.
LDRT has been shown to be a cost-effective, noninvasive treatment with minimal side effects. Read the full publication here.