Ask Dr. Wy… Richard Wyderski, MD, FACP Dr. Wy, why is my doctor sending me to get radiation treatments for my knee arthritis? This sounds like a scam! Most all of us are familiar with the therapeutic use of radiation for cancer treatment that has can be used super cially for skin cancers and is precise enough to target deep brain tumors. We’ve come a long way since 1895 from just being able to make images of bones with x-rays. Low dose radiation treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee have been used for many years in Europe, but well-conducted studies were lacking until recently. A multicenter trial published in 2025 randomly assigned 114 patients to either very low dose radiation or fake treatments. No one knew who was getting which treatment, and the only pain medication anyone could take was acetaminophen. Patients were asked about pain level, function, and their satisfaction four months after everyone had undergone 6 treatments. 70% of patients undergoing radiation met response criteria while only 42% of the sham group did. That’s a big difference, but it does show how much a placebo can help with pain. Radiation works by suppressing immune cells and in ammatory proteins in the joint, but it’s not meant for severe bone-on-bone arthritis. A lot of questions remain about whether radiation should be combined with other treatments or used by itself to get the best response and long-term outcome, but it’s a start and may be able to help people avoid eventually needing a knee replacement. In the meantime, don’t forget that weight loss and physical therapy work really well, too! Have a question for Dr. Wy? Please submit it to info@wyderskihealth.com
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