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 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain in adults, affecting mobility, independence, and overall quality of life. Exercise remains one of the most effective non-pharmacological treatments for managing symptoms—but patients frequently ask which type of exercise is best. Strength training has long been considered the gold

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 A cortisone injection for knee arthritis can feel like a miracle. The pain fades, movement returns, and for a brief moment, life feels normal again. But beneath that relief, there is a growing concern — one now backed by real evidence. What helps today may quietly be harming your knee for tomorrow. In my practice as a sports medicine physician, I

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2025 | Last Updated: March 1, 2025 Movement is medicine — but most people with arthritis do the exact opposite. When joint pain flares, the instinct is to stop moving: skip the walk, avoid the stairs, rest as much as possible. The problem is that avoidance does not protect your joints. In my practice, I see this pattern regularly — patients who stop moving in an effort to manage t

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 If you've been told you have a meniscus tear, your first thought might be that surgery is inevitable. It's one of the most common concerns I hear from patients in my sports medicine practice. But here's what many people don't realize: the majority of meniscus tears—particularly degenerative tears that develop over time—do not require surgery. Mul

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 If you've recently had a hyaluronic acid injection for knee arthritis—or you're considering one—you're probably wondering what comes next. Questions like "Is this soreness normal?" and "When will I start feeling better?" are among the most common things I hear from patients in my clinic. In this guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to

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

Medically reviewed by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 Knee pain is one of the most common complaints I see in my sports medicine practice. While occasional soreness after exercise is usually nothing to worry about, there are certain warning signs that should prompt you to seek evaluation sooner rather than later. After treating thousands of patients with knee pain, I've identified three c

The meniscus has notoriously poor blood supply, and most tears — especially degenerative ones — never fully heal on their own. For years, patients with persistent meniscus tears have been told that surgery is the only viable option. But what if we could change the biology inside the knee to make healing possible? As a sports medicine physician in the San Francisco Bay Area, I regularly treat patients who come in for a second opinion after being told they need surgery for a me

Medically reviewed by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: February 26, 2026 | Last Updated: February 26, 2026 Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections have become one of the most promising non-surgical treatments for knee osteoarthritis. However, not every patient experiences the same degree of improvement. In my practice, I have treated thousands of patients with PRP, and while the majority respond well, there are clear patterns in who b

Board-certified sports medicine physician Dr. Jeffrey Peng ranks knee arthritis injections — PRP, hyaluronic acid, cortisone, and stem cells — based on the latest 2025 clinical evidence, safety data, and real-world outcomes.

Osteoarthritis is now recognized as a metabolic disease. Learn the 3-step evidence-based protocol — metabolic health optimization, PRP injection therapy, and targeted exercise — to reduce knee arthritis pain and restore mobility.

A brand new study out of the Cleveland Clinic just tracked nearly 1,800 athletes through their knee replacement and recovery — and the results challenge a lot of what patients are being told. Only 53% made it back to sports within a year. But the ones who did? Most were back in just 12 weeks. So what separates the people who return from the ones who don't? As a sports medicine doctor in the San Francisco Bay Area, I treat patients with knee arthritis every week. And this que

What if I told you that much of what you know about knee osteoarthritis is completely wrong? In this video, we'll uncover the truth...

There is significant controversy and debate within the medical community about the most effective treatment approaches for meniscus...

Knee arthritis treatment is complex and to make matters worse, there is a lot of misinformation from online sources and medical...

What is patellofemoral pain syndrome and chondromalacia patella? Patellofemoral pain syndrome describes pain and discomfort around or...

What is IT band syndrome? The IT band extends from the hip to the outer part of the knee. IT band syndrome occurs when this band becomes...