Among athletes, there is a perpetual need to find new means to gain a competitive advantage. Athletes spare no expense seeking optimal performance, from specific training to the latest in nutrition.
Some of the newer trends making waves with both athletes and sports fans are hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
In this article, we will take a look at hyperbaric therapy and how athletes are using it to boost performance. We will also review its application more widely to healing and recovery.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Science Explained
Before looking at how athletes have begun to integrate hyperbaric oxygen therapy into their routine, let us first examine the science behind it. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy consists of inhaling oxygen in a chamber at a pressure higher than normal atmospheric pressure. The effect of posing this greater pressure is that the body can assimilate more oxygen, and this, in turn, has several physiological effects, such as:
- Increased Oxygen Concentration: “Using hyperbaric states, it elevates concentrations of oxygen in the blood.” Enhanced oxygen is thus delivered more effectively to tissues and cells that require resolution, repair, and regeneration.
- Decreased Inflammation: HBOT can reduce inflammation by downregulating proinflammatory mediators and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. This effect is significant during athlete rehabilitation.
- Increased Stem Cell Production: Hyperbaric therapy has also been shown to increase stem cell production, which is integral to repairing and regenerating tissues.
- Better Immune Response – Higher levels of oxygen in the body can help strengthen the immune system, fight infections, and improve overall health.
Having established a foundational understanding of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, let us now look at some ways athletes are using it to boost performance across various sports.
Accelerated Recovery
Just as training is an integral part of professional sports, so is recovery. Athletes often experience muscle fatigue, soreness, and injuries when they push their bodies to the limit. The healing process can be significantly accelerated using hyperbaric oxygen treatment by:
Less Muscle Soreness: HBOT’s post-exercise anti-inflammatory effects can reduce soreness and help athletes return to training sooner.
Speedier Recovery from Injuries: HBOT has proven helpful for sports-related injuries such as sprains, strains, or fractures, as it facilitates tissue repair and regeneration.
Enhanced Endurance
Hyperbaric therapy is also increasingly used among endurance athletes, including marathon runners and cyclists, for the purpose of enhancing performance:
Improved Delivery of Oxygen to Active Muscles: The increased oxygenation during HBOT may allow for better oxygen delivery to active muscles, therefore delaying fatigue.
Enhanced Stamina: Athletes have experienced newfound endurance and stamina to push the limits in training and competition.
Cognitive Benefits
Athletics is as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one. Cognitive advantages from hyperbaric oxygen therapy that athletes can use for a mental edge include:
Improved Focus/Alertness: Increased oxygen levels can enhance cognitive performance, helping the athlete remain focused and alert during competition.
Decreased Mental Fatigue: With reduced mental fatigue, athletes can maintain peak cognitive performance throughout their events.
Expanding Applications for HBOT in Sports
Though the performance-enhancing benefits of HBT, among others, are impressive, the use of HT for sports is not limited to sports performance. Here are a few of the more common uses of HBOT within the sports world:
Wound Healing
Wound healing is an essential consideration for athletes, particularly for those who participate in contact sports or are frequently injured. The efficacy of hyperbaric therapy in the treatment of wounds has been shown by:
Facilitating cellular repair: The greater availability of oxygen accelerates cell division, thereby supporting wound closure.
Decreasing the risk of infection: HBOT enables the avoidance or treatment of infected wounds, reducing the risk of further complications.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is an essential step on the road back to optimal performance for athletes who have undergone surgery or experienced serious injury. As part of rehabilitation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be helpful:
Speeding up Recovery: Using HBOT reduces the time required to rehabilitate tissues.
Pain Management: It can help manage post-surgery pain and reduce the need for pain medications, aiding recovery.
Concussion Management
Sports that would be classified as contact sports, such as football and hockey, struggle with the issue of concussions as well. Among the various therapeutic potentials of HBOT, the anti-inflammatory effects and neuroprotection provided by HBOT pose a therapy for concussions.
Though this research is still in progress, the therapy may provide an option for the treatment of head injuries in athletes.
Altitude Training
Hyperbaric chambers are used by some athletes to simulate high-altitude conditions. This process, referred to as “hypoxic training,” will help increase an athlete’s endurance by increasing the number of red blood cells and thus the body’s ability to use oxygen.
HBOT is changing the game for how athletes train, recover, and perform better. Its scientifically supported advantages, such as quicker recovery times, increased endurance, and cognitive benefits, have led to its popularity amongst elite athletes.
Its broader use in wound healing, rehab, concussion treatment, and sports medicine in general is also revolutionizing the field.
As more of the research mentioned above is developed, hyperbaric therapy will further saturate the sports world.
Athletes are always looking for that little edge, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy can provide them with the edge they seek, both on and off the field.
