Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for Osteoarthritis
A Non-Surgical Option to Help Relieve Joint Pain and Inflammation
For many people living with osteoarthritis, everyday movement can become painful, frustrating, and limiting. When medications, injections, physical therapy, or other conservative treatments no longer provide enough relief, low-dose radiation therapy may offer another option.
At New Mexico Cancer Center, we provide low-dose radiation therapy for osteoarthritis to help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and improve quality of life — without surgery.
What Is Low-Dose Radiation Therapy?
Low-dose radiation therapy uses very small doses of targeted radiation to reduce inflammation in affected joints and surrounding tissues. Unlike radiation used to treat cancer, the doses used for osteoarthritis are significantly lower and are designed specifically to help calm inflammatory processes that contribute to pain and stiffness.
Treatment is non-invasive, painless, and typically completed in short outpatient visits.
Conditions That May Benefit from Treatment
Low-dose radiation therapy may be considered for patients experiencing chronic pain or inflammation related to:
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Hip osteoarthritis
- Hand and finger arthritis
- Shoulder arthritis
- Foot and ankle arthritis
- Tendon and soft tissue inflammation associated with degenerative joint disease
This treatment may be especially helpful for patients who:
- Are not candidates for surgery
- Want to delay joint replacement
- Have not responded well to medications or injections
- Cannot tolerate certain pain medications
- Are seeking additional non-surgical options
How Treatment Works
Research suggests that low-dose radiation therapy may help reduce inflammatory activity within the joint and surrounding tissues. By calming chronic inflammation, many patients experience:
- Reduced pain
- Improved mobility
- Less stiffness
- Better day-to-day function
Relief is often gradual and may continue improving over several weeks following treatment.
What to Expect
Treatment is delivered by a radiation oncology team using advanced imaging and highly targeted technology to focus treatment on the affected area.
Most patients:
- Require only a few short treatment sessions
- Do not feel the radiation during treatment
- Can return to normal daily activities immediately afterward
- Experience minimal side effects
Your care team will review your medical history, imaging, prior treatments, and symptoms to determine whether low-dose radiation therapy may be appropriate for you.
Why Choose New Mexico Cancer Center?
New Mexico Cancer Center brings extensive expertise in advanced radiation therapy techniques and personalized patient care. Our radiation oncology team works closely with each patient to evaluate all available options and create a treatment approach focused on comfort, mobility, and quality of life.
As one of the region’s most trusted independent specialty care centers, we are committed to helping patients access innovative treatments in a supportive, compassionate environment.
The Health Specialists of New Mexico building in Albuquerque provides patients with convenient access to advanced specialty and cancer care close to home.
Find Out if Low-Dose Radiation Therapy is Right for You
If osteoarthritis pain is limiting your daily life and other treatments have not provided enough relief, low-dose radiation therapy may be worth exploring.