The new photon therapy of Shanghai Fourth Hospital relieves the pain of patients with heel osteoarthritis and unbearable pain
Ms. Qian, 46, suffers from heel bone and joint pain and cannot walk normally. Every step she takes is accompanied by severe pain. Recently, the team of Gao Wei, director of the Radiotherapy Department of Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, used a new photon therapy for bone and joint pain to treat bone and joint pain, helping Ms. Qian relieve pain and restore function.
In early May, Ms. Qian suffered from heel bone and joint pain, which was especially severe at night, making it difficult to fall asleep and feeling very tired. The pain seriously affected her daily life and her quality of life dropped significantly. After trying various treatment options, the results were not satisfactory.
After being introduced, Ms. Qian found the team of Gao Wei, director of the Radiotherapy Department of Shanghai Fourth Hospital. Gao Wei's team conducted a comprehensive assessment of Ms. Qian's condition and diagnosed heel osteoarthrosis. According to the German osteoarthritis treatment guidelines, Gao Wei's team developed a 2-week non-invasive and painless photon irradiation treatment plan for Ms. Qian.
During the treatment process, Gao Wei's team first used large-aperture positioning CT to accurately locate Ms. Qian's painful area, and then used Varian photon treatment equipment to perform photon irradiation treatment on the painful area. The entire treatment process was non-invasive and painless. After 2 weeks of treatment, Ms. Qian’s heel pain was significantly relieved and she could walk short distances normally. She no longer woke up due to pain at night. Her mental state was greatly improved and she was able to participate in daily activities and family affairs again.
Osteoarthrosis, also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative osteoarthritis, is a common chronic disease that is usually caused by an inflammatory response triggered by microbial infection, chemical stimulation or physical damage, leading to articular cartilage degeneration, subchondral bone sclerosis, Pathological changes include marginal osteophyte formation, joint space narrowing, and synovitis. As the disease progresses, people with osteoarthrosis experience joint pain and limited mobility, which in severe cases can lead to disability.
Gao Wei said that currently more than 300 million people worldwide are affected by osteoarthritis. Among people over 40 years old in my country, the prevalence of primary osteoarthropathy is as high as 46.3%. Clinically, if a patient develops joint pain after activity, is over 40 years old, and has stiffness for less than 30 minutes in the morning, it can usually be diagnosed as osteoarthrosis.
In order to provide these patients with safer and more effective treatment options, Shanghai Fourth Hospital has innovatively developed low-dose photon irradiation treatment technology and opened a specialized outpatient clinic for photon treatment of bone and joint pain.
Gao Wei introduced that low-dose photon treatment of bone and joint pain uses the positive biological responses of human tissues after photon irradiation, such as promoting cell repair, anti-inflammation and immune regulation. Multiple international clinical studies have proven that 63% to 90% of patients with osteoarthritis experience pain relief and improved function without any acute or chronic side effects after receiving low-dose photon irradiation treatment.
"This treatment method has been included in the German osteoarthritis treatment guidelines in 2018, and is now very common and popular in Europe. In the future, we will further carry out photon combined traditional Chinese and Western medicine comprehensive treatment to improve the treatment effect of bone and joint pain." Gao Wei explain.
