Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a process in which you breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized room or chamber.
Although it has been around for years as a treatment for various health issues, such as decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, and wounds that won’t heal, in the past few years, hyperbaric treatment has been used to treat athletes to improve their performance.
Even the top athletes of today are utilizing HBOT to help recover and perform at their best. Vegas Hyperbaric and Decompression Center treats Las Vegas athletes and fitness enthusiasts with special protocols for muscle recovery and performance.
So, why are the world’s best athletes pursuing HBOT, and what does science have to say about its upsides?
Why the Best Athletes Use HBOT
Faster Recovery
Highly paid sports stars also use hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a way to help them recover from intensive exertion or injury.
One of the primary benefits of HBOT is that it increases oxygen levels in the tissues. This outcome occurs because, at this increased pressure in the chamber, oxygen dissolves into the blood plasma and is accessed by areas of poor perfusion or hypoxic tissue. This outcome can aid in recovery following an injury or after a challenging workout and enhance performance.
There have been multiple recent studies demonstrating that HBOT can lower levels of muscle enzymes and improve the magnitude of pain, which would make a significant difference for competitive athletes.
Accelerated Healing from Injury
The potential of HBOT lies in its ability to decrease the amount of time athletes must be away from play or practice, which has significant opportunity costs or financial implications.
Due to the anti-inflammatory properties that HBOT has been demonstrated to possess, it may help prevent injury risk and speed up recovery time.
HBOT can reportedly accelerate the healing process and reduce inflammation, allowing athletes to return to their sport sooner than expected—and without restrictions.
HBOT promotes the healing process by elevating oxygen levels in the body and can help patients with inflammation, infection, and wound care.
Healing and recovery are essential for athletes returning from injuries, as inflammation is a natural part of the body’s healing response, but can also damage tissue if not properly managed. Athletes have also reported faster symptom resolution with HBOT in one study.
It can also promote the growth of new blood vessels in damaged areas, thereby enhancing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to affected tissues and accelerating the healing process.
Enhanced Athletic Performance
Apart from aiding recovery from injury, HBOT may also improve athletic performance. Enhance athletic performance by delivering increased oxygen levels to the body’s tissues. HBOT can enhance aerobic capacity and endurance, which is beneficial for athletes seeking to achieve greater results in their training sessions and games.
There have been some research studies in the last few years that have examined the results of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy on mitochondrial respiration and work capacity in middle-aged athletes.
Hyperbaric oxygen improved their physical abilities as well as their maximal oxygen uptake. Another trial of young male soccer players reported an increase in endurance performance three weeks following hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Mitigating the Impact of Chronically High Cytokines
Recently, the term “chronic cytokines” has been at the heart of studies involving athletes.
Cytokines are proteins that the body produces in response to infection. They play a role in inflammation and disease, as well as in responses to injury or stress. Sometimes, the immune response can become overactive and lead to consistently high cytokine levels, which can attack the body’s tissues and organs.
Chronic subclinical inflammation is a condition in which the up regulation of pro-inflammatory signal transduction pathways occurs over time in response to regular, intense physical training, and can be found in athletes.
It has been suggested that this injury develops due to the continuous stress and wear on muscles, joints, and tissues resulting from training and competition.
This continuous inflammation can contribute to several adverse effects on the body, including decreased muscle performance, an increased risk of injury, and impaired repair/recovery from injuries. It has also been associated with a range of health issues that include heart disease, insulin resistance, and chronic pain.
One potential therapy that athletes could use to counteract the extended buildup of cytokines is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). HBOT has been demonstrated to decrease inflammatory processes and enhance tissue repair, making it beneficial in attenuating responses induced by cytokines. In animal research, HBOT has been found to decrease inflammation and increase muscle regeneration in injured muscles. Another study of chronic musculoskeletal pain patients showed that HBOT could reduce pain and improve function.
Although further studies are necessary to determine how sustained blood cytokine elevation specifically affects athletes, there may be adverse consequences for both athletic performance and health. Athletes can minimize these effects via HBOT or other treatments that reduce inflammation and enhance tissue regeneration. However, athletes must be closely monitored by a properly trained doctor and follow the necessary safety guidelines to apply these treatments.
Decreased Inflammation
Trauma is also an area in which HBOT has demonstrated potential. Since HBOT reduces inflammation and enhances tissue repair, it can serve as a practical measure against injury, even before it occurs.
Several experiments conducted in recent years have suggested that HBOT may reduce inflammation and enhance muscle regeneration in animals whose muscles have been artificially damaged.
Further research is needed to determine if the findings hold up in humans, but they suggest that HBOT might be a valuable aid for athletes who want to accelerate their recovery while reducing the risk of injury.
Improved Mitochondrial Function
Mitochondria are called the powerhouses of the cell because they generate much of the energy that cells use to work correctly. They are involved in athletic power performance because they are necessary for muscle contractions and aerobic metabolism.
Meta-analyses demonstrated HBOT can enhance an athlete’s mitochondrial function.
It has been observed that HBOT may induce the production of mitochondrial ROS and thereby promote mitochondrial biogenesis, i.e., the formation of new mitochondria in the body. This may lead to improved mitochondrial function and increased cellular energy production in the body.
HBOT for Sports Recovery at HMS
We often use Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma injections to enhance healing when it is crucial, such as in professional athletes.
HBOT has demonstrated efficacy as a therapeutic modality to enhance and expedite recovery from injuries/cumulative damage in athletes, not only by aiding healing but also by positively impacting athletic performance through mechanisms such as enhancing mitochondrial function, improving oxygen delivery, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue repair/regeneration. HBOT for acute injury, injury prevention, chronic injury, and performance enhancement. And while we need more data to explain why HBOT proves effective as a performance and recovery aid, it seems inevitable that it is. As with all medical therapies, athletes should consider consulting a trained medical professional and follow applicable safety precautions when undergoing HBOT.
Types of Athletes We Treat
At Vegas Hyperbaric and Decompression, we’ve been fortunate to treat a wide range of athletes, from Olympians to weekend warriors with HBOT. Our customers include professional MMA fighters, professional boxers, college athletes, and high school athletes.
The motivations for seeking treatment are diverse, ranging from concussions and injuries to increased performance.
