Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is one alternate medicines that is fast picking up owing to it’s ability to treat numerous medical conditions with/without using other medicines. Typical atmospheric concentration of oxygen is around 21%, but in a Hyperbaric Chamber, the pressure is maintained at 1.5 to 3 times that of atmospheric pressure and the chamber is filled with 100% Oxygen. That means, effectively a person breathes 7 to 15 times more oxygen inside the chamber than he/she breathes in normal environment. So, what can this excess oxygen in the body do to athletes?
Helps in quick recovery
Did you know that world famous football player Chistiano Ronaldo took up HBOT to recover from his knee injury and he was able to recover faster than any other player with similar injury? When athletes train or play, they stress their body and push it off the limits to become a winner. After intense training or a game, their bodies require adequate time to recover to get ready for another session. Recovering from such a stressful sessions need good amount of time and it is not just as easy as sitting or lying down.
Athletes who want to optimizing their performance should look towards active recovery than passive recovery and HBOT is one such therapy that can help in active recovery. Recovery time of athletes reduced by 33% with the help of HBOT. Healing and recovering with HBOT is due to the tissues getting filled up with high amounts oxygen. Other benefits of HBOT include:
- Increased stem cell activation
- Faster bone and cartilage regeneration
- Reduced muscle fatigue and exhaustion.
HBOT helps heal injuries faster
We do have an entire article that talks about ‘how HBOT helps in recovering from sports injuries’, you can visit the article or just read through the below summary.
When a injured person is subjected to HBOT treatment, more amounts of oxygen is carried by the red blood cells to every organ of the body including the injured area. Higher oxygen levels help in regeneration of blood vessels that helps in supplying more blood and oxygen to the injured area. As a result, the injury starts healing faster than normal. The injury may be of any kind, in order to heal, it requires oxygen supply. When an area is injured, due to the break in blood vessels, lesser oxygen is supplied to that area which results in slower healing. HBOT does the opposite by sending more oxygen and by helping in regeneration of blood vessels.
Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury healing
Concussion is temporary loss of brain function due to an injury. TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury is brain dysfunction that is caused by a hard hit to the head when playing a sport or due to any accident. Typically many football or soccer players get hurt in their head when playing the game. When such injured people are subjected to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, they tend to heal faster as the body starts to heal faster with more oxygen. Symptoms such as nausea, fatigue and pain seem to subside after the treatment.
HBOT treats compartment syndrome
In long distance runners and normal runners, a rare but potentially dangerous condition may take place – compartment syndrome, due to internal pressure caused by swollen or bleeding tissues. Some experts opine that when such athletes are subject to HBOT, it helps them to avoid such painful condition.
HBOT as performance booster in sports persons
Many athletes train themselves at higher altitudes to increase the production of red blood cells and to improve the cell’s oxygen carrying capability. Since the introduction of HBOT, athletes are looking towards it to get the same performance gains by subjecting themselves to higher amounts of oxygen in a HBOT chamber.
Hyperbaric Therapy increases mental focus
Some studies suggest that HBOT helps in clearing brain fog and stay focused. Mental focus is important not just for sports persons but also to general public when performing their day to day activities or while they are work.
Whether you are an aspiring athlete in Chennai or a just a common man suffering from concentration issues or non healing injuries, you are welcome to try HBOT therapy at our T Nagar, Chennai clinic. Visit the following link to know how HBOT can help you with all possible ways:
Conditions treated by HBOT
Conditions Treated by HBOT
