This review looked at whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) helps people with muscle and joint pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, pain after knee replacement, and pain after nerve surgery. Across 18 studies (mostly high-quality trials with 671 patients), HBOT was usually given for 60–90 minutes per session over several days or weeks, at mild to moderate pressure levels (1.3 - 2.5 ATA) Overall, HBOT consistently reduced pain and led to modest improvements in function and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia and some postoperative pain conditions, and it sometimes improved markers of inflammation. However, results were mixed for short-term problems like post-exercise muscle soreness and acute ligament injuries. The authors conclude that HBOT may be a helpful add-on treatment for certain chronic pain conditions, but the evidence is still limited and better, more standardized studies are needed before it can be widely recommended <view study> Read Less

Read Less

Researchers reviewed 13 studies (including both animal and human research) with a total of 693 subjects to see whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) helps tendon and ligament injuries heal. Overall, studies found that HBOT—alone or combined with treatments like platelet-rich plasma or injections—helped tissue heal faster and stronger, showing more organized collagen (the main building block of tendons and ligaments), better repair on a microscopic level, and quicker return of function. It also appeared to lower the chance that grafts fail after ACL surgery. <view study> Read Less

PRP is a form of regenerative medicine that uses a patient's own blood to promote healing and can be used to treat a variety of conditions including orthopedic injuries (ie, muscle, tendon, bone, ligament, cartilage). Researchers of this study wanted to evaluate the addition of hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) with PRP therapy to determine the outcome for fracture healing. This was an animal study that used a 2-week preconditioning HBOT protocol before standard PRP (HBOP). This 2 week HBOT protocol consisted of 10 total sessions at 3.0 ATA, administered in three, 20 minute sessions with two 5-minute air breaks (60 total minutes at pressure). Upon blood collection, researchers noted that HBOP produced significantly higher growth factors compared to PRP alone. In addition, bone repair was accelerated and repaired both quicker and stronger. Furthermore, they concluded "HBOP enhances the biological activity of PRP and accelerates bone healing in a closed femur fracture model in rats. This study highlights the regenerative potential of PRP when preconditioned with hyperbaric oxygen for use in bone fracture therapy" <view study> Read Less

Rotator cuff injures (of the shoulder) can be very difficult to treat and can cause significant limitations in the range of motion for the affected shoulder, particularly in the elderly that are at higher risk to this kind of injury. For professional athletes, an injury like this can slow down their time to 'return to play' but more importantly can limit their performance  and put them at a higher risk for re-tearing the same injured area  (as the repair tissue is not as strong, or tensile, as the original tissue before). Since hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has both  been shown to both  speed up and increase the strength (tensile) of  the healing process for these kinds of injuries, researches in this study wanted to further explore (and document) these benefits,  particularly in relation to the  tendon-bone interface healing. Even thought this study was performed on animals (Rabbit study), it was only a 5 day study at 2.0 ATA (120 minutes each session). "The results indicate that hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly enhances vascularization at the interface between the shoulder cuff and tendon-bone, promotes collagen fiber regeneration in the tendon, improves the tensile strength of the tendon-bone complex, and does not have a significant effect on biomechanical stability." This study is consistent with all research studies showing "QUICKER and STRONGER" tissue repair from the simple addition of HBOT <view study> Read Less