[eig]

Glad to see this! We need better treatments for OA short of a joint replacement.

I'm not too surprised that this treatment works. It's essentially like localized steroids to just the joint- killing off the immune cells causing inflammation.

Good features is that it's localized (so no systemic immunosuppression) and the risk of cancer is low since you rarely get radiation-induced cancer in joints because there's not enough dividing cells. Unfortunately heading to radiotherapy is a logistical challenge, but there are enough people suffering from OA that would happily do this to get relief.

[munificent]

> It's essentially like localized steroids to just the joint- killing off the immune cells causing inflammation.

Are you confusing osteoarthritis with rheumatoid arthritis? I didn't think the pain of osteoarthritis had anything to do with the immune response. You've literally got bone rubbing against bone. It's not going to feel good.

[eig]

Both OA and RA involve some inflammation (-itis means inflammation). RA is more T cell driven inflammation (and clinically visible) while OA is more macrophage driven. Mechanical wearing still makes the joint unhappy at the cellular level- you just don’t see it big and red as a symptom like in RA.