By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2026 · 5 min read Watch the Full Video Dextrose prolotherapy is one of the oldest regenerative injection therapies still in use today, yet most patients have never heard of it. The concept is simple: inject a concentrated sugar solution into or around a damaged joint to trigger the body’s natural healing response. But does the science actually support this approach for knee arthritis ? In this post, we review the clinical trial ev

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2026 · 6 min read Watch the Full Video Both hyaluronic acid (HA) injections and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are well-established treatments for knee osteoarthritis. When used individually, head-to-head trials consistently show that PRP tends to produce more favorable outcomes than HA alone. But a growing body of research is now exploring whether combining the two injections could produce a synergistic effect — offerin

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2026 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Stem cell therapy continues to generate excitement as a potential treatment for chronic joint pain. Among the various sources of stem cells being studied, umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells have emerged as a particularly interesting option. Unlike bone marrow or adipose-derived stem cells — which are harvested from the patient's own body — umbilical cord stem cells come from donate

Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2025 · 5 min read Watch the Full Video Amniotic fluid injections have generated significant interest as a potential treatment for knee osteoarthritis. One of the most compelling use cases is for patients who continue to experience pain despite standard treatments such as hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid injections. But does this treatment actually work? A recent clinical trial offers some encouraging — though nuanced — answers. Wh

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2026 · 6 min read Watch the Full Video Platelet rich plasma injections and stem cell injections are two of the most talked-about orthobiologic treatments for knee osteoarthritis. Both have demonstrated clinically significant pain relief and functional improvement in clinical trials. However, stem cell therapy is often marketed as a superior treatment and comes with a much higher price tag. But does the evidence actually support th

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2025 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video If you have been diagnosed with a degenerative meniscus tear, you have likely heard conflicting advice about treatment. Some physicians recommend arthroscopic surgery to remove the damaged tissue, while others advocate for physical therapy and structured exercise. The disagreement often depends on whether you see an orthopedic surgeon or a nonoperative sports medicine specialist. So which app

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2025 · 8 min read Watch the Full Video If you are considering a platelet rich plasma injection , one of the most important questions you can ask your provider is: how many platelets will be in my PRP? Research increasingly shows that platelet count is one of the strongest predictors of treatment success — and not all PRP preparations deliver an adequate dose. A growing body of evidence suggests that achieving at least 5 to 10 bill

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2025 · 5 min read Watch the Full Video There is considerable debate within the orthopedic community about the best treatment options for a meniscus tear. What is becoming increasingly clear is that cutting out the meniscus should be seen as a last resort. Newer techniques for meniscus repair surgery have shown lower failure rates, and with advances in orthobiologics and cellular therapy, many providers are exploring whether augme

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 6, 2026 · 6 min read Watch the Full Video If you are dealing with knee osteoarthritis and have been told that arthroscopic surgery might help, you may be wondering how it compares to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. Head-to-head trials comparing PRP to placebo, hyaluronic acid, and cortisone injections have consistently shown that PRP produces superior and more sustained symptom relief. But how does PRP stack up against surger

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections have become one of the most effective non-surgical treatments for reducing pain and improving function in patients with knee osteoarthritis . But an important question remains: can PRP actually slow down the progression of arthritis itself? A landmark randomized controlled trial by Chu et al. (2022) set out to answer that question — and the results were

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Muscle pain is one of the most overlooked contributors to knee osteoarthritis symptoms. When patients visit their doctor for knee pain, the evaluation typically focuses on the joint itself — the bones, cartilage, ligaments, and meniscus . But the muscles surrounding the knee are rarely examined, and research suggests they may be responsible for a substantial portion of the pain that patients

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 8 min read Watch the Full Video If you have been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis , one of the first questions you may ask is whether it is safe to keep walking. Many patients worry that physical activity will accelerate cartilage breakdown and make their condition worse. Some have even been told by well-meaning providers to stop exercising altogether. However, current evidence tells a very different story: walking is not

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 6 min read Watch the Full Video Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen are among the most commonly recommended medications for knee osteoarthritis . They can take the edge off a painful flare, but they come with a long list of potential side effects — gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney damage, elevated blood pressure, and cardiovascular complications — risks that climb steeply in the older adults who

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 6 min read Watch the Full Video If you have been told you have knee arthritis, your doctor likely used an X-ray to assess the severity of your condition. The most widely used classification tool for this purpose is the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading system , which rates knee osteoarthritis on a scale from 0 to 4. A grade of 0 indicates no signs of osteoarthritis, while a grade of 4 represents severe, bone-on-bone arthritis

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Glucosamine and chondroitin are among the most widely used dietary supplements for joint pain and arthritis. Walk into any pharmacy, and you will find shelves stocked with combination formulas promising relief. But despite decades of use, significant debate remains over whether these supplements actually deliver meaningful clinical benefits. A large 2018 systematic review published in the Br

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 8 min read Watch the Full Video Turmeric and curcumin have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years. Only recently has Western medicine begun to explore the surprisingly wide range of beneficial properties attributed to curcumin, including its ability to reduce pain and inflammation. But does the evidence support these claims? In this article, we review the results of several re

Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2025 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil supplements are among the most popular over-the-counter options people reach for when dealing with arthritis and joint pain. With their well-established role in cardiovascular and kidney health, many patients ask whether these same anti-inflammatory benefits extend to symptomatic knee osteoarthritis . The short answer? The evidence is mixed — and the clinical ef

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2025 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Meniscus tears are one of the most common knee injuries, and for patients with degenerative tears, the standard recommendation from many orthopedic surgeons remains arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that surgery should be seen as a last resort for degenerative meniscus tears, not a first-line treatment. In fact, a comprehensive non-surgical treatm

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 10 min read Watch the Full Video One of the most common questions patients ask at their first consultation is whether their health insurance will cover platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections . It is an understandable concern — PRP is one of the most effective nonsurgical treatments available for conditions like knee osteoarthritis and chronic tendon injuries, yet the vast majority of insurance companies in the United States

By Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD · Published March 5, 2026 · 7 min read Watch the Full Video Collagen supplements are marketed aggressively for joint pain, stiffness, and even slowing the progression of arthritis. Walk into any supplement aisle and you will find dozens of products claiming to rebuild cartilage and reverse joint damage. But what does the clinical evidence actually show? Collagen is a structural protein found naturally throughout the body and is a key building block of