Healthlinks Charleston March/April 2022

www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com | 85 C H A R L E S T ON COU N T Y M E D I C A L S OC I E T Y HealthLinks Charleston is a proud partner of the Charleston County Medical Society. For more information on joining CCMS, contact Dana Holladay at [email protected]. an incompetent structure by the generation of new cellular tissue.” Dr. Hackett derived the name in part from a Latin word meaning to produce new cells in rapid succession. Dr. Joye’s own interest came about six years ago when physical therapy and several steroid injections failed to heal a chronic tennis elbow. “So I had a platelet-rich plasma injection, and my symptoms resolved,” he said. “That experience was the catalyst for me to learn how to apply it to my patients who were not responding to more traditional treatments for their pain.” Since then, he has become more and more supportive of the treatment, especially since many of his patients who have tried it have had successful outcomes. “In my experience, with proper patient selection, there’s an 80% to 85% chance that prolotherapy will reduce pain and increase function at least 50% of the time,” he said. “The more successful outcomes occur with patients who are active partic- ipants in the recovery and have healthy healing potential with good nutrition, exercise and sleep habits.” THE NEW FUTURE OF HEALING? While its full approval by the medical community is still somewhat pending, prolotherapy is consistently gaining ground as a viable medical treatment. In 10 studies conducted with 750 participants in 2019 to 2020, the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., concluded in part that “adequately powered, homogeneous and longer-term trials are needed to better elucidate the effica - cy of prolotherapy.” And research from the Mayo Clinic, headquartered in Roch- ester, Minnesota, determined that, “A combination of pro- lotherapy and spinal manipulation or back exercises seems to be more effective than prolotherapy alone.” “Prolotherapy has had a steady rate of acceptance in the medical community and public over the years, but likely will accelerate due to a COVID-induced health awakening,” Dr. Joye said. “More than ever before, patients are thirsty to dig deeper into how their bodies work, how to help it operate at peak efficiency, and how to assist it in healing itself.” Photo provided by Dr. Joye.