Low-dose radiotherapy is a safe, effective, and non-invasive treatment for inflammatory and degenerative conditions of the tendons, joints, and other soft tissues in the body. Most people find it provides pain relief, helping them get back to normal movement.
You can be seen and treated quickly at our state-of-the-art Leonard C. Ferguson Cancer Center at FHN Memorial Hospital. We offer the latest radiotherapy technology and our teams are highly experienced healthcare professionals with expert knowledge of these diseases.
Dr. Bobby Koneru*
FHN Radiation Oncologist
Radiotherapy is a simple and non-invasive treatment that can significantly improve pain and stiffness, helping avoid the need for surgery. 4 out of 5 people find that it gives effective pain relief from conditions like osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and bursitis. Radiotherapy causes minimal disruption to your daily life, allowing you to get on with what’s important to you.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the US. It causes stiff and painful joints and often affects the hips, knees, or hands. Some people call it “wear and tear” or “degenerative” arthritis as it causes the protective end of the bone to wear down.
Tendinopathy is when you injure a tendon, which is the rope-like tissue that connects your muscles to your bones. Injuries can happen with overuse or sudden movements and cause pain and swelling around the tendon. Common types of tendinopathy affect the heel and calf, elbows, and shoulders.
Bursitis is a condition that affects a small fluid-filled sac called a bursa that cushions the bones, tendons, and muscles near your joints. You get bursitis when the bursa becomes inflamed, making it feel painful and achy. Bursitis commonly affects the shoulders, hips, elbows, and knees.
Radiotherapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses precisely targeted X-rays (a type of radiation) to trigger the anti-inflammatory response. This natural healing mechanism helps relieve pain, swelling, and stiffness. Non-invasive means there’s no cutting or entering the skin, so recovery is quick. This type of radiotherapy uses a low dose of X-rays and is commonly used to treat non-cancerous conditions. It’s different to radiotherapy for cancer, which involves giving much higher doses of radiation.
It’s worth considering low-dose radiotherapy if you have:
Here is an outline of what to expect during your initial consultation, planning, treatment, and follow-up.
Before your first appointment, your care team will contact you to explain how you can prepare and answer any questions you have.
1. Your consultant will ask about your symptoms and do a physical examination to see if radiotherapy is a suitable option. They’ll explain the benefits and side effects of the treatment to help you decide if it’s right for you.
2. If you and your doctor agree that radiotherapy is the best option, you’ll need to sign a consent form for your treatment.
Next, you’ll visit your radiation therapist for a planning computed tomography (CT) scan. This helps us visualize the treatment area so that we can plan how to precisely target the X-rays. A CT scan should take around 20–30 minutes.
During your treatment, you’ll visit the radiation therapist for six treatments over two to three weeks. Your care team will explain how to get ready for your first appointment.
1. The radiographer will help you get in the right position underneath the X-ray machine.
2. The radiotherapy treatment is painless and takes less than one minute. Make sure to keep still so that it’s accurate.
3. Each appointment takes around 10 minutes in total. Radiotherapy does not cause drowsiness or dizziness, so you can leave straight away and drive yourself home if needed.
1. Three months after your first radiotherapy course, you’ll visit your consultant again so they can see how you responded to treatment.
2. Most people need another six sessions for full relief, but if your symptoms have already gone, you can choose to finish treatment after just one course.
3. Finally, you’ll have another follow-up after the second treatment course to discuss your outcomes and any next steps needed.
Low-dose radiotherapy can cause mild side effects. These side effects are much smaller compared with high-dose radiotherapy.
At your initial consultation, your specialist radiotherapy doctor will explain how low-dose radiotherapy could affect you.
During your treatment course, you may have:
These usually disappear within a couple of weeks. The treatment itself is painless.
For some people, radiotherapy can cause long-term skin changes like mild dryness, cracking, thinning, or hardening of the skin. E45 cream can help and is available in most pharmacies.
Radiotherapy uses X-rays, which means there is a very small risk of developing cancer in the skin around the treated area. This is an unlikely side effect and affects between 1 and 10 people in every 10,000 patients treated with radiotherapy.
We take careful steps to avoid this by using low-dose radiation and targeting the X-rays precisely to the inflamed area. Our radiographers, doctors, and nurses are always here if you have any questions or worries.
Your treatment at FHN is covered by most major medical plans, please check with your insurance provider for your coverage details. FHN’s staff has the ability to provide patients with estimates of their out-of-pocket costs before beginning treatment. Medicare also covers these treatments.
FHN is a specialist provider of advanced radiotherapy, and Dr. Koneru has extensive experience treating people with conditions including osteoarthrosis, tendinopathy, and bursitis.
At FHN, we know what it takes to get the best possible outcome for every patient. From first symptoms through to specialist care and treatments, your team of expert consultants, surgeons, and nurses are by your side every step of the way.
Your care plan will be carefully tailored to your needs, and you will find that our center is equipped with every treatment necessary, and the support and answers you ask for are readily to hand. We’re renowned for the excellent care we provide and what matters most is that every patient, and their loved ones, take away a positive experience of their time at FHN.