Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 3, 2026 | Last Updated: March 3, 2026 Can alcohol actually worsen your arthritis symptoms and accelerate joint damage? Many patients assume that an occasional drink is harmless, but recent research reveals a clear connection between alcohol consumption and worsening arthritis—both on imaging and in daily pain levels. What may be most surprising is not simply how much you drink, but h

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 3, 2026 | Last Updated: March 3, 2026 Knee cracking, popping, and grinding are among the most common concerns I hear from patients in my sports medicine clinic. These sounds — collectively known as knee crepitus — can be alarming, especially when they seem to appear out of nowhere. The good news is that in most cases, noisy knees are completely harmless. However, understanding when c

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 3, 2026 | Last Updated: March 3, 2026 If you are considering a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection for knee pain, arthritis, or a tendon injury, there is one critical factor that will determine whether your treatment succeeds or fails—and most clinics never mention it. The effectiveness of PRP depends heavily on platelet dosing. Research now shows that injections with too few plate

Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 2, 2026 | Last Updated: March 2, 2026 If you are considering a PRP injection for knee arthritis, you may have come across the option to add hyaluronic acid (HA) to the treatment. It is a reasonable question: does combining PRP and hyaluronic acid actually produce better outcomes, or is it simply an expensive add-on with no meaningful benefit? The answer could influence your treatment

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 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, 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, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026 One of the most common questions I hear from patients considering platelet-rich plasma therapy is: "Do PRP injections hurt?" Most people assume it is just another quick, relatively painless shot. And while that is often true during the procedure itself, the real surprise comes a few hours later — and it can catch people completely off guard. In m

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

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.