Sports & HBOT

Injuries caused by sports related activities are a substantial concern among players, coaches and parents alike. As inflammation and pain play primary roles with respect to recovery, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to significantly reduce inflammation and ameliorate pain. Additionally, HBOT can accelerate and enhance healing from surgeries and wounds. New evidence supports HBOT as an adjunct and practical treatment to help moderate the effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and enhance brain scan results.

HBOT is often utilized by physicians and individuals to help reach a full recovery from high-impact insults to the body and is currently used by some of the U.S. Olympic Teams to treat sports-related injuries as a part of their official medical techniques and equipment.

Studies have demonstrated the benefits of HBOT for sports-related injuries in the following areas:

• Sports-Related Injuries
• Surgeries
• Intensive Training
• Performance

HBOT has been shown to be an effective solution when it comes to sports-related issues. Some of those include:

Sports-Related Injuries

• Increases collagen production
• Reduces inflammation and pain
• Faster and better recovery from sprains tears and bone fractures
• Stimulates the creation of new blood vessels
• Enhances recovery from medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries
• Decreases susceptibility towards re-injuring target areas
• Rapid recovery from concussions and head injuries
• Improves brain scan results

Surgeries

• Accelerates and enhances healing
• Reduces inflammation for optimal pre-surgical conditions
• Reduces risk of infection
• Stimulates the creation of new stem cells
• Decreases hospital time

Intensive Training

• Accelerates healing from muscle strain
• Improves blood flow
• Increases energy levels

Performance

• Improves concentration
• Increases serotonin levels
• Accelerates jet lag recovery
• Decreases lactic acid

Study: NFL Athlete Improves Cognitive Functioning with HBOT

In 2011, a case report was published involving an NFL player who suffered multiple concussions. This subsequently led to the development of hydrocephalus (accumulated fluid within the brain), which required emergency shunt brain surgery. The star athlete continued playing and won the Super Bowl, only for his shunt to fail, which led to additional emergency back-to-back surgeries. Following his surgeries, he received 40, one hour treatments of HBOT. After the treatment protocol, he was independently assessed with neuro-cognitive evaluations and brain scans by the Amen Clinic in California. Marked improvement in 5 out of 6 indices on the MicroCog assessment for cognitive functioning (a computerized assessment sequence designed to detect early signs of cognitive impairment) was confirmed, in addition to drastic enhancements with respect to his brain scan.