Low-Dose Radiation for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Case Report

Traditional osteoarthritis (OA) treatment focuses on symptom management, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), duloxetine, intra-articular glucocorticoids, or surgical intervention. Unfortunately, these approaches may provide inadequate symptom relief or can be contraindicated in patients with comorbidities such as cardiac issues, diabetes, and liver dysfunction. This underscores the necessity for alternative management options for OA. Low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT), widely used in European countries for the management of painful musculoskeletal conditions, has emerged as a promising option for pain relief in OA. We present the case of a 72-year-old man with a history of seven meniscectomies and bilateral knee OA. Due to minimal pain relief from prior treatments, the patient received 50 cGy per fraction (total of 3 Gy/6 fractions) to each knee three times per week for two weeks. After the completion of this treatment, the patient experienced substantial pain relief, meeting the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) responder criteria. This case aims to discuss the need to optimize OA management by establishing collaborative, multidisciplinary clinics within hospitals.