Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 3, 2026 | Last Updated: March 3, 2026 If you are dealing with joint pain or arthritis, chances are you have tried at least one supplement that promised relief. The supplement market is filled with options, but not all of them deliver on their claims. Some have strong clinical evidence behind them, while others fall short when put to the test in rigorous studies. In my practice as a s

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 If you have ever been told that an MRI holds the key to understanding your joint pain, you may be surprised to learn that it might not be telling you the full story. In my practice, I frequently see patients who come in with MRI reports showing tears, arthritis, or degenerative changes — fully expecting these findings to explain their pain. But i

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 If you live with arthritis, you may have been told — or simply assumed — that pain is a sign of ongoing joint damage. This belief is not only inaccurate in many cases, but it can actually make your arthritis worse. The fear of pain leads to avoidance of movement, which sets off a cycle of weakness, stiffness, and accelerated joint decline. In my

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 3, 2026 | Last Updated: March 3, 2026 Emerging research suggests that probiotics may play a meaningful role in managing arthritis symptoms—an area that many patients and even some physicians have yet to fully explore. While arthritis has traditionally been viewed as a condition limited to the joints, a growing body of scientific evidence now points to the gut microbiome as a signific

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy has gained significant attention in recent years as a non-invasive treatment option for chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions. Many of my patients ask about PEMF, and it is one of the most common questions I receive in my video comments. In my practice as a sports medicine physician in the San Fra

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 If you or someone you know struggles with knee pain from arthritis, the possibility that a widely used diabetes medication could provide relief may change how you think about treatment options. Metformin, prescribed to more than 150 million people worldwide for type 2 diabetes, has recently drawn significant attention from researchers exploring i

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 Obesity is the single most powerful modifiable risk factor for developing knee osteoarthritis — and it could be quietly damaging your joints every single day. While many patients assume arthritis is simply an inevitable part of aging, research consistently shows that excess body weight plays a far larger role than most people realize. The good ne

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2025 | Last Updated: March 1, 2025 Most people who struggle with joint pain are focused on the wrong things. They wait for the pain to go away on its own. They rest for weeks—sometimes months—hoping time will fix the problem. They stretch when they should be strengthening. And they treat the symptoms without ever addressing the underlying system. In my practice, I see these patter

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2025 | Last Updated: March 1, 2025 Maintaining strength, mobility, and independence as you age is not only possible — it is well within reach for most people. Whether you are in your 60s, 70s, or beyond, the same foundational principles apply: move consistently, train with intention, and prioritize recovery. In my practice, I work with patients every day who are proving that age i

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng , a board-certified sports medicine physician practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Published March 1, 2026. As a sports medicine physician, I see many patients dealing with migraines and chronic headaches who would prefer to minimize their reliance on prescription medications. The good news is that a handful of supplements are supported by solid clinical research for migraine prevention. In this post, I review the top three evidence-based supp

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 TB-500 is one of the most talked-about peptides in the world of injury recovery. Marketed as a synthetic version of a naturally occurring protein called thymosin beta-4, it has gained attention for its purported ability to accelerate healing, reduce inflammation, and support tissue repair in muscles, tendons, and joints. For patients dealing with

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 Knee arthritis is one of the most common conditions I treat in my sports medicine practice, and one of the most frustrating things patients experience is how unpredictable it can be. Two patients with nearly identical X-rays can have completely different levels of pain, function, and long-term outcomes. For years, we've treated osteoarthritis wit

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2025 | Last Updated: March 1, 2025 Visceral fat is something most people have never heard of, but it may be one of the most important factors in long-term joint health. Unlike the fat you can pinch under your skin, visceral fat hides deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your organs. It does not simply sit there quietly — it actively drives systemic inflammation, fuels metabolic s

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 Migraines and chronic headaches are among the most common and debilitating conditions I see in clinical practice. Many patients are understandably frustrated — they want relief without relying entirely on prescription medications. The good news is that several supplements have been rigorously studied in randomized controlled trials and shown real

Medically reviewed by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Last updated: February 28, 2026 Red light therapy has become one of the most talked-about recovery tools among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. From professional sports teams to home LED panels, the technology is everywhere — but does the science actually support the hype? As a sports medicine physician who has treated thousands of athletes in the San Francisco Bay Area, I get asked about

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician PRP can work incredibly well for tendons, joints, and soft-tissue injuries—but a lot of people still get disappointing results. Here’s the pattern I see over and over again: two people get the same PRP injection, from the same doctor, using the same technique—and one improves dramatically while the other barely notices a change. And most of the time, it’s not because the injection was done wrong. What

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