1300 Hospital Dr #220
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
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Struggling with Knee or Shoulder Pain that won't improve?
From serious sports injuries causing tissue damage to bone issues and stiffness that comes with age, living with pain is, well, a pain. But it's more than that - it's a stressful, often upsetting way to get through your day, month, and year. Have you ever tried to get out of bed with sore, stiff knees? Most folks would rather just get back in bed. Think you might try exercising with plantar fasciitis? Don't plan on running far or doing cardio for very long. Torn rotator cuff? Without proper treatment, your life might not ever be the same.
Living with pain and the inevitable issues that come with age can seriously affect your wellbeing and happiness. Sure, you could wake up every morning and rely on addicting medications to help you move. Or, you could risk further injury and damage with invasive surgeries that require long periods of recovery and downtime. But those can't be the only two options for treatment, can they?
Fortunately, a new, natural, non-invasive treatment for pain is revolutionizing the medical industry and transforming people's lives. It's giving athletes, average folks, and people of a certain age a reason to be hopeful. It's called Softwave therapy, and unlike many fly-by-night medications and sketchy treatments, it's backed by science and provided by Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine.
If you're barely making it through the day suffering from chronic pain, this FDA-approved drug-free treatment may be for you. Softwave therapy has already been used by thousands of people around the country living with issues like shoulder pain, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis. You could be next.
Though its popularity has only grown in recent years, Softwave therapy - also known as shockwave therapy - has been around for years. In fact, the first systematic study into the benefits of shockwave therapy took place way back in 1950. So, what is Softwave therapy?
Softwave therapy is a method of treatment that works incredibly well for mobility rehab, pain relief, and full-body recovery, usually from chronic pain or injuries. Softwave therapy uses a device emitting low-energy soundwaves that target a patient's injured area. These low-intensity waves boost blood flow and kickstart your body's natural healing processes, relieving long-term pain and helping your body to heal a wide range of injuries and conditions.
The main targets in the body include bones, tendons, and other soft tissues, which are encouraged to regenerate and repair via the shockwaves. Often, shockwave therapy is used in conjunction with other non-invasive treatments like chiropractic care, which we offer at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine. The results are often incredible, leaving patients wondering why they never tried Softwave therapy before.
Softwave therapy works especially well for:
Better Blood Flow
Collagen Stimulation
Reducing Inflammation
Kickstarting cell growth and healing factors
Breaking down build-ups of calcium
With FDA clearance, little-to-no side effects, and quick application time, Softwave therapy is a welcome alternative for people suffering from pain. Who wants to spend weeks or months recovering from a surgery that might not even work? Likewise, who would want to become dependent on over-the-counter or, even worse, prescription pain meds? Living a life of addiction is a road nobody wants to go down.
Softwave therapy represents a revolution in non-invasive pain treatment; best of all, it's highly effective. Independent studies prove that shockwave therapy helps with pain. 65-91% of patients using shockwave therapy experienced real-deal improvements in damaged muscle and bone tissue, solving their mobility problems and drastically reducing pain. It almost sounds too good to be true, but as many patients at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine will tell you - it isn't.
Book AppointmentSome of the most common conditions that Softwave therapy treats include:
When you get up in the morning and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, do you notice a stabbing, sharp pain near your heel? Does the pain go away once you have a chance to walk around? If so, you could have plantar fasciitis. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, this painful condition is quite common. About two million people suffer from plantar fasciitis every year, and almost 10% of all people will experience the condition at least once in their life.
This common foot issue happens when the plantar fascia - a fan-shaped tissue near your heel - gets inflamed. The plantar fascia is a thick strip of connective tissue that links your toes to your heel bone, helping to preserve the arch of your foot. When this band is strained, it causes intensely sharp pain, usually in the morning when you wake up and plant your feet on the floor.
Most folks ignore plantar fasciitis because the pain eventually goes away throughout the day. However, if left untreated, plantar fasciitis can lead to weakness and chronic pain, which may affect daily walking.
Some causes of plantar fasciitis include:
The short answer to this question is not really. Patients with plantar fasciitis will ice the affected area with little-to-no relief since they spend so much time on their feet. It's hard to rest an achy heel if you've got a job that requires you to be on your feet. Anti-inflammatory meds like Advil don't work all that well, either. They may provide temporary pain relief, but in terms of a long-term solution, taking these drugs will cause major side effects.
Book Appointment
When more conservative treatment options like ice and over-the-counter meds don't work, most doctors turn to ultra-expensive orthotics, steroid injections, or invasive surgery. For the average person, those options fail on all fronts, as they carry risks for side effects and may even cause the issue to worsen.
Instead of going under the knife or changing their daily routines, many people suffering from plantar fasciitis are turning to Softwave therapy for relief.
During a shockwave therapy session, our expert providers use a special probe to deliver pressure waves to inflamed tissue. These waves trigger natural healing processes causing new blood vessels to form. In turn, oxygen is supplied to the affected area, reducing inflammation and causing healthy cells to regenerate. Shockwave therapy also produces collagen, which is crucial for connective tissue health.
With just a few visits, many patients find long-term relief from plantar fasciitis without relying on strange drugs or harmful surgeries.
Living with knee pain is just miserable. From knee tendonitis to osteoarthritis, knee pain can prevent you from enjoying activities and affect your day-to-day life. Your knee is a joint comprised of cartilage, bone, ligaments, and fluids. Tendons and muscles within the knee help the joint move. When one of these crucial knee structures is hurt or compromised, it results in knee pain and long-lasting knee problems. This, in turn, leads to difficulty walking at best and debilitating knee issues at worse.
If you're an active person or somebody who plays sports often, you're probably all too familiar with knee pain - especially common conditions like patellar tendinopathy. Also called "jumpers knee," this issue happens at the patellar tendon, which is found on the front of the knee just under the knee cap. When living with this condition, most patients experience pain around the kneecap or lower down on the leg around the tibia.
In addition to injuries and issues like jumper's knee, everyday wear and tear will cause knee pain over time. With time, this knee pain can develop into arthritis. If your knees are swollen, painful, or stiff, you may have arthritis in your knees. Regardless of the kind of knee pain you're experiencing, treatment options have been limited to agonizing surgeries and addicting pain medications. But that all changes with shockwave therapy for knee pain in Charleston, SC.
Though no two knee pain problems are exactly the same, shockwave therapy has been shown to be highly effective for knee pain. In fact, many patients at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine find relief after just one session. Many times, sessions can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. So if you want to find relief for knee pain on your lunch break, that's definitely possible.
As is the case with plantar fasciitis, Softwave therapy works by sending sound wave and low-energy impulses to the affected area of your knee. These pulses stimulate your body's healing factors, which can help regenerate and repair damaged tendons and tissues. Softwave therapy for knee pain is especially promising for people who have tried other treatments - like surgery and pain meds - with disappointing results.
Benefits include:
Several studies and reviews prove that Softwave therapy can be very beneficial for people suffering from knee pain problems like jumper's knee. A study involving 66 patients with knee pain found that they enjoyed a significant improvement in their reported pain levels with Softwave therapy. In fact, knee pain was reduced by nearly 50% after a single month. When combined with other regenerative and physical therapy treatments at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, your days of living with knee pain are numbered.
Book AppointmentHere's a fact for you to consider: Every joint that you have in your body plays a part in your day-to-day life. But when we think of joint issues, we typically jump to knee issues. However, your knees aren't the only joints in your body to go through wear and tear. Your shoulders experience just as much, if not more, wear and tear than your knees. We put a strain on our shoulders just about every time we use or move our arms. Our shoulders play a pivotal part in living a normal life. When they begin to deteriorate over time due to age or overuse, it creates a litany of painful problems.
There are many causes of shoulder pain, like deterioration, inflammation, and trauma. Of the many painful shoulder conditions affecting Americans yearly, rotator cuff tendonitis and arthritis are very common. Also called calcific tendinitis, rotator cuff pain is caused by built-up calcium deposits on the shoulder's tendons, which connect your rotator cuff to nearby muscles and bones. This painful condition is usually linked to sports, like basketball and volleyball, or in professions requiring repetitive movements, like in the plumbing industry.
Some common symptoms of shoulder pain and rotator cuff tendinitis include:
Though strengthening exercises and some medications provide temporary relief for shoulder pain, they're not meant as long-term solutions. Luckily, Softwave therapy for rotator cuff pain in Charleston, SC, can help.
Shockwave therapy has been shown to work wonders for shoulder pain. Low-intensity shockwaves break up calcium deposits and jumpstart your body's healing processes, stimulating blood flow and healthy cell growth. Shockwave treatment is especially effective for long-term shoulder pain since it releases stem cells, sends growth factors to the affected area, and boosts capillary production. Shockwave therapy has also been shown to break down scar tissue and eliminate trigger points, all of which decrease shoulder pain. This relief is most often long-lasting, unlike other treatments like medications and injections.
Many studies support the efficacy of Softwave therapy for shoulder conditions like rotator cuff pain and calcific tendonitis of the shoulder. In a study of 84 patients living with long-term rotator cuff tendonitis, participants in the treatment group saw a significant decrease in the intensity of their shoulder pain. Another study related to shockwave therapy for calcific tendonitis found that 86.6% of patients experienced fewer calcifications.
If you're having to live with rotator cuff pain or another type of shoulder issue, choosing Softwave therapy may be your best course of action.
Book AppointmentWhether you're sick of living with intense heel pain from plantar fasciitis, the mobility issues associated with knee pain, or the day-to-day struggles of rotator cuff degeneration, you'll find hope at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine. Unlike some medical clinics, our team of doctors and specialists focus on an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to healing. Instead of relying on addictive medications and invasive surgeries, we prefer to address the underlying causes that our patients face.
We combine several all-natural pain relief therapies so that your shoulder pain, knee pain, joint pain, and foot pain go away for good. We resolve pain by using healing treatments that restore function and improve mobility for the long term. Our state-of-the-art regenerative medicine treatments, used hand-in-hand with proven chiropractic techniques, will stimulate your body's healing power from within. If your pain is related to muscles, nerves, and bones, our doctors can help you overcome discomfort, injury, or medical conditions affecting these systems.
If you've been unable to resolve your pain or have become dependent on painkillers to cope, Softwave therapy may be the natural solution you need. It all starts with a quick call to our office, so we can begin to understand your needs. When you come for your first visit, our doctors will find the personalized treatment you need so that you can manage your pain in a non-invasive and drug-free environment manner.
Book AppointmentCHARLESTON, S.C. — College of Charleston forward Ante Brzovic had a black eye, which he wears as a badge of honor in this extra special season.Brzovic got the shiner when he collided with teammate Dalton Bolon going for a rebound last week in a drama-filled, 71-69 win over UNC Wilmington.“I think it makes him look tougher,” Bolon said with a chuckle. “He wasn’t that handsome to begin with.”Brzovic has been plenty tough for the 18th-ranked Cougars (19-1, 7-0 Colonial Athletic Ass...
CHARLESTON, S.C. —
College of Charleston forward Ante Brzovic had a black eye, which he wears as a badge of honor in this extra special season.
Brzovic got the shiner when he collided with teammate Dalton Bolon going for a rebound last week in a drama-filled, 71-69 win over UNC Wilmington.
“I think it makes him look tougher,” Bolon said with a chuckle. “He wasn’t that handsome to begin with.”
Brzovic has been plenty tough for the 18th-ranked Cougars (19-1, 7-0 Colonial Athletic Association), scoring 17 points in an 82-54 victory over William & Mary on Monday — their 18th straight win this season.
“We played hard,” Charleston coach Pat Kelsey said. “We measure and value deflections. It tells us how hard we are playing. I think we had 50-something deflections, which I think is a record for us.”
Charleston’s 19 wins are the most in Division I and its ranking, up from No. 22 last week, is the program’s highest since 1999 when the school finished No. 16 in the AP poll.
William & Mary (8-11, 3-3) had its two-game win streak snapped.
Charleston didn’t shoot the ball particularly well – hitting just 38 percent from floor – but that didn’t stop the Cougars from connecting on a season-high 16 3-pointers against the Tribe.
“We’re a shooting team, and we play with a lot of pace,” said Bolon, who hit three of his four 3-point attempts. “We’ve got a lot of guys that really pass the ball well. Passing the ball well opens up guys for shots.”
College of Charleston dominated the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds that led to 23 second-chance points.
“We got off to a great start and shared the ball,” Kelsey said.
Charleston came out hot, scoring on their first six offensive possessions. The Cougars quickly built a double-digit lead. Reyne Smith’s 3-pointer gave the Cougars a 14-2 lead less than four minutes into the game.
“We got into the game really quickly and our defense was solid,” said Brzovic, who had three steals and two assists. “We were doing what the game plan told us to do. We controlled the game from the first minutes.”
Charleston continued to build on its advantage throughout the first half, using a 12-3 run and grabbed a 33-14 lead on Brzovic’s putback with 8:31 to play before intermission.
“They played really well, and I don’t think that was our best game, but they had a lot to do with that,” William & Mary coach Dane Fischer said. “They came out and blitzed on offensive glass early. We really struggled to get into an offensive flow. We just never really got going.”
The second half was much of the same as the Cougars led by as much as 32 points.
Ben Wight had 14 points to lead the Tribe.
BIG PICTURE
William & Mary: The Tribe came in with two straight victories and the CAA rookie of the week award winner Charlie Williams. But the team was quickly in the hole as Charleston opened a 13-point lead less than five minutes in. ... William & Mary finished 0-of-12 on threes.
College of Charleston: The Cougars have continued their success in long-range shooting. They connected on a season’s best 16 3-pointers a game after getting 15 in a win over Elon this past Saturday.
UP NEXT
William & Mary goes to Delaware on Thursday night.
College of Charleston goes to Monmouth on Thursday night.
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
William & Mary @ College of CharlestonCurrent Records: William & Mary 8-10; College of Charleston 18-1The #22 College of Charleston Cougars won both of their matches against the William & Mary Tribe last season (74-73 and 84-61) and are aiming for the same result Monday. The Cougars and William & Mary will face off in a Colonial battle at 5 p.m. ET at TD Arena. College of Charleston is out to keep their nine-game home win streak alive.College of Charleston strolled past the Elon Phoenix with points to spa...
William & Mary @ College of Charleston
Current Records: William & Mary 8-10; College of Charleston 18-1
The #22 College of Charleston Cougars won both of their matches against the William & Mary Tribe last season (74-73 and 84-61) and are aiming for the same result Monday. The Cougars and William & Mary will face off in a Colonial battle at 5 p.m. ET at TD Arena. College of Charleston is out to keep their nine-game home win streak alive.
College of Charleston strolled past the Elon Phoenix with points to spare this past Saturday, taking the matchup 78-60. Four players on College of Charleston scored in the double digits: guard Dalton Bolon (21), forward Ante Brzovic (17), guard Reyne Smith (14), and guard Ryan Larson (12).
Meanwhile, after constant struggles on the road, William & Mary has finally found some success away from home. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 69-67 victory over the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks this past Saturday. The Tribe's forward Charlie Williams filled up the stat sheet, picking up 15 points.
The Cougars are the favorite in this one, with an expected 16.5-point margin of victory. Those sticking with them against the spread have guts, to put it politely, as the squad has let down bettors in their past three games.
Their wins bumped College of Charleston to 18-1 and William & Mary to 8-10. In College of Charleston's win, Dalton Bolon shot 6-for-11 from downtown and finished with 21 points and Ante Brzovic had 17 points along with seven boards. We'll see if William & Mary have a strategy for dealing with them or if they lead their team to another successful outing.
The Cougars are a big 16.5-point favorite against the Tribe, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 16.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
College of Charleston have won seven out of their last 13 games against William & Mary.
Watch Now:
The strength of the Big 12 is starting to create a problem with the bracketing rules. One of those is that teams from the same conference among the top four seeds have to be placed in different regions. The exception for that is if there are more than four teams from one conference in the top 16.
That is the case in this updated bracket. The Big 12 has five teams in the top 16, which necessitated putting two of those teams in the same region. In this case, TCU and Kansas are each in the Midwest Region.
The Big Ten still has the most teams in the bracket with 10. The Big 12 and ACC have seven each.
| Seed | Midwest | South | West | East |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Kansas | Purdue | Houston | Alabama |
| No. 2 | Tennessee | Xavier | Gonzaga | UCLA |
Check out Palm's latest bracket, full field of 68 and all the teams on the bubble on the Bracketology hub.
Early season brackets – and this is still early in the season for bracket purposes – means that some teams will have computer rankings that do not match their resumes. There are various reasons why that can happen. For a few teams with good NET rankings, their overall records or some segment of them are not good enough to get in the bracket for now. A win or two, could end up having a more dramatic impact than usual in those cases.
For example, Ohio State has lost four straight, including a loss at home to Minnesota, to fall to 10-7 overall and just 4-6 against the top three quadrants. Things might get worse before they get better for the NET No. 21 Buckeyes as they play three of their next four on the road.
Also, Creighton is still trying to recover from a six-game losing streak earlier in the season. The Bluejays are ranked 24th in the NET, but are just 10-8 overall. They are only 6-8 against the top three quadrants. I mention that split because teams with records below .500 against that group rarely get selected as at-large teams. They have three of their next five at home and the road games are Butler and Georgetown, so this is a chance to get a streak going.
Now that I am doing brackets every Monday and Friday, some teams will not play at all between brackets. This time, it was two of the No. 1 seeds, Houston and Purdue, getting the weekend off. The Boilermakers play a matinee at Michigan State on Monday, while the Cougars travel to Tulane on Tuesday. Tulane has won five straight, including wins over Memphis and UCF.
Kentucky is back in the bracket following the Wildcats win at Tennessee on Saturday. That was their first Quad 1 win of the season and followed on the heels of a Quad 4 loss at home to South Carolina. Kentucky is far from safe though. The Wildcats are a No. 10 seed.
UConn got off to a flying start and was on the cusp of rising to the top of the polls, but the Huskies have lost four out of their last five and has them slowly sliding down the bracket. The most disappointing of those losses came on Sunday when UConn lost to St. John's at home. That is currently a Quad 3 loss.
Matthew Kenner and Madison Donnan met at Milk Bar in Raleigh. It’s one of the many bars Kenner owns and operates in the Carolinas. There’s also Dogwood, Whiskey Rose and Hive Nightclub, among other current and upcoming ventures.Ritual, located on a rooftop at the old Carolina Ale House location on Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston, is the first Tulum, Mexico-themed operation. And it’s a place where Donnan got to apply her interior decorating...
Matthew Kenner and Madison Donnan met at Milk Bar in Raleigh. It’s one of the many bars Kenner owns and operates in the Carolinas. There’s also Dogwood, Whiskey Rose and Hive Nightclub, among other current and upcoming ventures.
Ritual, located on a rooftop at the old Carolina Ale House location on Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston, is the first Tulum, Mexico-themed operation. And it’s a place where Donnan got to apply her interior decorating touch.
Inspired by many a birthday and anniversary trip the couple had been on together to Tulum, Donnan used neutral tones and textures throughout and let natural elements shine, from woven wicker furniture to wispy beige pampas grass. Green plants thrive amid the relaxing oasis.
“In Tulum, everything is made with nature and blends in with nature,” said Donnan. “At a lot of restaurants, there are trees in the middle of a table or right next to you. There’s this idea of you don’t want to chop down the tree for the table; you want to make the table fit around the tree.”
That was part of her inspiration. As for the food and drinks, those are influenced by both Tulum and Charleston cuisines, with a range from Spanish tapas to fresh seafood.
You can start with guacamole and chips or crispy Brussels sprouts and work your way toward a braised beef empanada, Yucatan wings, shrimp and scallop ceviche, a whole fish or tequila mussels.
Pair with cocktails inspired by Donnan and Kenner’s Tulum favorites, like the Tepache Betty, El Jefe Caliente, Cenote Milk Punch and Mezcalita.
Brunch has also been a popular addition. Donnan said the restaurant has teamed up with their downstairs neighbor, Hero’s Doughnuts & Buns, for fried chicken and pepper jelly sandwiches in doughnut buns.
While a DJ spins some EDM and house beats on the outdoor terrace, mimosas and bloody mary’s are served alongside cinnamon rolls, deviled eggs, huevos Tulum, and grilled shrimp and avocado toast.
“We want to create a vibe where daytime goes into nighttime,” said Donnan.
Hence DJs that start before the sun goes down and are still creating a party atmosphere when the stars come out. Events are also big, like an ABBA-themed party that catered to bachelorette groups, and upcoming February matchmaking table swaps and Galentine’s Day celebrations.
Ritual has partnered with Jibe Cycling to bring 40 stationery bikes onto the terrace; there are goals to host more yoga, dance and trampoline classes. The Drip Lounge has administered “hangover IVs” on the rooftop.
“I love getting new ideas and working with local businesses,” said Donnan, who works in marketing in addition to design.
Ritual, located at 145 Calhoun St., is open 4 p.m. to around midnight Monday through Wednesday, 4 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Thursday, 12 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Friday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to around midnight on Sunday.
South Carolina is the only state to have two places on The New York Times’ latest “52 Places to Go in 2023 list.” It touts Greenville (No. 14) for its restaurants nextled in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains: “The quaint city of about 70,000 has more than 200 restaurants — 85 percent of which are local, without a tie to a national chain — in its strollable downtown area alo...
South Carolina is the only state to have two places on The New York Times’ latest “52 Places to Go in 2023 list.” It touts Greenville (No. 14) for its restaurants nextled in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains: “The quaint city of about 70,000 has more than 200 restaurants — 85 percent of which are local, without a tie to a national chain — in its strollable downtown area alone.“
And Charleston (No. 32) is highlighted for its still unopened International African American Museum, of which it says, “Charleston’s brutal history of slavery can be overshadowed by a romanticized portrait of a city with charm, award-winning restaurants and plantation gardens. The planned opening of the $100 million International African American Museum this year will help comprehensively display the city’s complicated past.”
“Imagine tweaking our current voting system so that you don’t have to head back to the polls for a runoff. Instead, you would rank all candidates when you went into the voting booth on election day. You’d still pick your top candidate. But then you’d pick the second-best one – in case your person didn’t win the election. And then you would keep ranking each candidate on the ballot.”
In other headlines:
King Day celebrations to occur across state, nation. As many workers observe the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by taking off a day, others will be celebrating with parties and other events around the state. In Charleston, an artist is unveiling a new painting today as the YMCA Charleston hosts its 51st anniversary tribute parade. President Joe Biden on Sunday at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church said that despite not being able to pass sweeping voting rights measures last year, the struggle to overcome remains at hand.
Group approaches shelters’ goal of No Kill South Carolina. The Charleston Animal Society (CAS) announced this week it is close to reaching its longtime goal for animal shelters in South Carolina not to kill animals in trouble.
Abortion, vouchers dominate legislature’s first week. With more than 900 bills prefiled before the Tuesday opening of the 2023 legislative session, it’s not like state lawmakers could twiddle their thumbs. There was plenty of work to do. But two perennially pesky issues – abortion and school vouchers – quickly reared their heads to suck the air away from just about everything else.
Misinformation spreading about whale deaths, scientists say. Two recent whale deaths in New Jersey and North Carolina are causing scientists to warn people to look at the real issues — ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, not offshore wind towers.
Volvo snared in web of privacy lawsuits. The company is caught in lawsuits alleging websites targeting consumers violate federal privacy and wiretapping laws, according to this story.
CDC says people in 23 counties should wear marks due to Covid. Check out where the CDC says you should now wear marks.
Charleston Library Society celebrates 275th anniversary. The organization is launching a new chapter as it preserves the past.To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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Leisure travel is becoming less defined by vacation time or personal time off, as employees gain more flexibility to maximize and control their schedules.Data is tracked by earmarking stays as travel or leisure, but remote work is blurring the lines between the categories.It’s a national trend that has been coined many names, but it is being closely watched by visitor industry experts in Charleston.Remote or hybrid work models have become the norm for many in the aftermath of the pandemic, allowing workers to save ...
Leisure travel is becoming less defined by vacation time or personal time off, as employees gain more flexibility to maximize and control their schedules.
Data is tracked by earmarking stays as travel or leisure, but remote work is blurring the lines between the categories.
It’s a national trend that has been coined many names, but it is being closely watched by visitor industry experts in Charleston.
Remote or hybrid work models have become the norm for many in the aftermath of the pandemic, allowing workers to save both time and money and live or work from just about anywhere with a reliable broadband connection.
Remote workers can capitalize on that new freedom by extending vacations or visits home by offsetting PTO with remote days. The idea: work by day, vacation by night.
Chris Campbell of Explore Charleston said that trend is something the marketing organization is monitoring but noted it is difficult to quantify and track.
“This is one of the newer national trends impacting the industry, and it goes beyond pent-up demand,” Campbell said. “While there is still more to understand about this type of travel, the flexibility of remote work changing leisure demand for more people is something we believe can help our industry sustain the strong performance we saw in 2022.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is also eyeing the trend, noting in a 2023 outlook that it expects hotels to respond with ramped up work spaces and Wi-Fi speeds.
Kevin Murawinski of Mount Pleasant is one example. He’s worked remotely as a copywriter during visits to see family out of state be able to spend more time away.
“Otherwise, I’m burning through vacation,” Murawinski said. “Or, it’s a really quick weekend trip where I’m scrambling on Sunday to get back because I have to get up and travel to an office the next day. With a remote situation I’m not stressing it and can stay there Monday or into Tuesday and find a much more affordable flight back.”
Historically airfares are more expensive on the weekends due to demand, so flying on a weekday makes a trip more affordable and feasible. For airlines, the demand is more spread out instead of being concentrated on weekend travel.
According to data from the travel booking app Hopper, the industry is taking notice. The Associated Press reported the cost of domestic flights on Sundays and Mondays has risen 5.9 percent and 2.97 percent in 2022 compared to 2019. The cost of flying on Friday and Saturday has dropped by 3 percent and 1.6 percent.
Mount Pleasant resident Matt Parker said that remote work is what allowed him and his family to relocate to the Charleston area.
“We packed our bags and are here for the long haul, all thanks to remote work,” Parker said. “Remote work has made traveling far easier for me and my family.”
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