Following spinal cord injuries, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to produce a positive effect on healing, but it still remains unclear of the main mechanisms of action. This study followed spinal cord injuries treated with HBOT and demonstrated that this group had higher and longer expressions of VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor), which is responsible for the growth of new blood vessels. This follows many other studies and citations, particularly with non-healing wounds, where HBOT facilitates the body to produce more blood vessels to damaged tissue, for long terms benefits <view study> Read Less

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is widely used as an effective off-label use for stroke victims. Research has found that this therapy not only targets oxygenation of the effected area and reduces inflammation, but also has been shown to promote bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) to proliferate and mobilize, which essentially becomes an important part of the neurogenic (nervous system growth) effects that have been demonstrated from hyperbaric procedures. Mobilization of these BMSCs to the damaged areas were more improved in long course hyperbaric treatments, suggesting the duration of therapy is crucial for promoting their neurogenic effects.

It is important to also note that emerging stem cell research has clearly demonstrated that BMSCs secrete brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the addition of anti-BDNF neutralising antibodies to MSC-conditioned medium attenuated its neuroprotective effect <view study>

This study also looked at the release of BDNF and found that a 3 week course of HBOT was able to produce significantly higher levels of BDNF and GDNF, than shorter 2 day course of HBO. These results indicated that longer and repetitive HBO therapy promoted more neurotrophic factor production, including BDNF and GDNF. <view study> Read Less

Virgina Mason Hospital’s hyperbaric unit has pulled together a report which documents 411 of their patients who took course in HBOT following radiation therapy, for the diagnosis of chronic radiation-induced tissue damage. The results were quite dramatic. For example, a positive outcome from hyperbaric treatment occurred in 94% of patients with osteoradionecrosis of the jaw. Hopefully, this will encourage the medical community to make stronger recommendations for hyperbaric therapy <view study> Read Less

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a used to treat difficult wounds in many cutting-edge hospitals and wound centers mainly due to it’s ability to promote growth of new tissue and blood vessels. Researchers have now taken this further to see if the healing effects of oxygen can also be shown for the intervertebral discs. This is a debilitating condition for a wide range of the population and are seen in more as people age and also for those who have suffered physical trauma to the area (ie, contact sports or accidents and falls). The following study shows us the mechanism involved in hyperbaric oxygen’s application for treating degenerative discs. Since this treatment modality is non-invasive, it should now get considerable attention for an adjunct treatment modality for disc degeneration <view study> Read Less

Neurogenesis is the growth and development of the nervous system with new neurons. This process has been shown to be significantly enhanced through the application of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy, particularly following trauma to the brain or central nervous system. A recent article titled “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes neurogenesis: where do we stand?” has just been published. In this article, proposed physiological mechanisms of action are looked at, in a way to gain better understanding of oxygen’s role in neurogenesis <view study> Read Less