Low Dose Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions
While radiotherapy is commonly associated with cancer treatment, low-dose radiotherapy is an excellent, non-invasive treatment option for many benign conditions. As the name suggests, this type of radiotherapy uses much smaller doses of radiation compared to what’s used for cancer treatments. This form of radiotherapy has been used to successfully treat conditions like arthritis, plantar fasciitis, Dupuytren’s contracture, and keloid and hypertrophic scars.
How it Works
Applying low doses of radiation to the body to treat different benign conditions promotes healing and eases pain.
Here’s how LDR works:
Reduces inflammation:
Low-dose radiotherapy stops inflammation in its tracks. First, it can lower your body’s production of the naturally occurring chemicals that cause inflammation. Second, it stops inflammatory cells from rushing to the area of your body that’s in pain. This is especially beneficial for inflammatory conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, and Bursitis.
Promotes healing:
Low-dose radiotherapy doesn’t just help treat pain—it encourages healing in the body. Receiving low doses of radiation to parts of the body helps prevent abnormal tissue growth like that found in keloids or Ledderhose disease. In many cases, receiving low doses of radiation for these types of conditions doesn’t just stop progression but reverses some of the effects, so patients see improved health.
Eases pain:
Reducing inflammation and swelling in parts of the body is key to relieving pain. Receiving low-dose radiation treatment can also make pain receptors in the body less sensitive. For patients who deal with chronic pain, reducing pain sensitivity can make a world of difference in their daily lives.
All Benign Conditions We Treat
At Colorado River Oncology, we specialize in using low-dose radiotherapy to treat benign conditions.
You can receive treatment for a variety of benign conditions, including:
For patients with these conditions who have not responded well to medications or other treatments, or perhaps wish to avoid surgery, low-dose radiation therapy is a painless and non-invasive option that is very often successful. Patients typically receive 6-10 treatments.
In studies on using low-dose radiation therapy for conditions like Bursitis, arthritis, and plantar fasciitis, well over 80% of patients experienced significant pain relief. For many, pain relief can last for several months or even years.
