Could Low-Dose radiation be the next knee pain fix?
NCT ID NCT05562271
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether low-dose radiation therapy can reduce pain and improve function in people with knee osteoarthritis. 114 adults aged 50-85 with moderate knee arthritis received either low-dose radiation or a sham treatment. Researchers measured pain and function improvements over 4 months to see if this approach is safe and effective.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- low-dose radiation therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, non-drug option for reducing knee pain and improving mobility in people with osteoarthritis.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early exploratory trial with only 114 participants. The benefits may be small or not last long, and radiation carries potential risks like tissue damage, though at low doses.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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114 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2022
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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50 to 85 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 50-85 years old * Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2-3 and diagnosed as a patient with primary knee osteoarthritis according to the ACR knee OA diagnostic criteria * Patients with VAS 40 or higher when walking, with or without medication at the time of screening * Patients who have VAS 50 or more and 90 or less when walking at the baseline * Among patients who were previously taking analgesic drugs at the time of screening, those with an increase in pain of 10 points or more at the baseline * Patients who do not want to take non-narcotic analgesics, those who have failed to control their pain due to the use of non-narcotic analgesics, or candidates for invasive treatment (intra-articular injection, arthroplasty, etc.) * A person who has a will to discontinue all pain medications except for rescue medications throughout screening, baseline, and clinical trials related to knee arthritis * A person who gives consent to use an approved contraceptive method from screening to 3 months after the end of the clinical trial * A person who understands the eligibility requirements for the study and has signed the consent form Exclusion Criteria: * A history of knee irradiation in the past * Patients participating in other degenerative arthritis clinical trials * Kellgren-Lawrence grade 4 * A history of malignancy within the last 5 years * A history of knee or hip surgery in the past * Patients who have received systemic steroid treatment or intra-articular steroid/hyaluronic acid injection within 2 months of screening * Patients with hip degenerative arthritis or other diseases of NRS 5 or higher that may affect functional score evaluation * Patients who are scheduled for surgical treatment of the knee joint during the clinical trial period * BMI \> 39 kg/m2 * Known history of analgesic or substance abuse within 2 years of screening * History, diagnostic signs or symptoms of any of the following clinically significant psychiatric disorders that would render the study ineligible (psychotic disorder, depression, somatic disorder) * History, diagnostic signs, or symptoms of any of the following clinically significant heart diseases that would render the study ineligible (surgery or stenting for ischemic heart disease and coronary artery disease within 6 months prior to screening) * History of other diseases that may affect the index joint, including autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) * Fibromyalgia history or diagnosis * If the researcher judges that a person with significant trauma or other findings considered clinically important is inappropriate for participation in this study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Samsung Medical Center
Seoul, South Korea
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Seoul National University Hospital
Seoul, South Korea
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Seoul National University Hospital / SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center
Seoul, 07061, South Korea
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