To answer the click bait headline
- Korean researchers found that low-dose radiation therapy eased knee pain and improved movement in people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis. The treatment, far weaker than cancer radiation, showed real benefits beyond placebo. With no side effects and strong trial results, the approach could provide a middle ground between painkillers and joint surgery.
Yeah, but why, is actually a really important question, in this case:
Is it because it harms the immune-system who is wrongly corroding the bone-tissue?
Is it because it damages the nerves, so they aren’t reporting pain when one is grinding the joint the same way one did?
Is it magically restoring bone-tissue?
“Why” MATTERS, in this case!
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It is a pretty old and well known treatment. The effect is caused by slowing down the immune systeme The question is more like: if it is so good, why does nobody use it?
Right with ya. When I hear anything incredible, in the old sense of the word, I immediately ask, “HOW does that work? What plausible mechanism is at play?”
True enough, sometimes we figure shit out backwards, but I’m still asking for a plausible mechanism.
We can’t know everything at once.
TFA reports that this works for early to moderate degeneration and it implied the mechanism of action is anti-inflammatory. It is stated explicitly that it doesn’t regenerate tissue.
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Seems like great news! Since the article doesn’t mention it, is anyone able to explain why this works? I don’t know much about this kind of stuff, but I can’t imagine any reason that radiation would help stop cartilage from breaking down
It stops inflammation for a while. This leads to pain relief. It does not stop further cartilage damage, AFAIK (though, in theory, should slow it down a bit?)
That’s right! You too could be pain free like her!
Huh? That’s a common treatment for chronic joint inflammation in the foot and hand. Is the new thing that it also works in the knee?
It seems to be new in Korea (it’s a Korean study) and perhaps in the US (published in an usian journal).
It doesn’t appear to work on headaches.
