A Look at Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy’s Impact on Athletes
Athletes is subject to enormous body pressures and stresses because of the highly regimented training schedules and tough travel itineraries they follow. This is why sportsmen typically benefit from life-giving medical procedures like hyperbaric oxygen therapy that help their recovery. These athletes who are often performing their demanding routines for the Olympics or the NBA usually take advantage of this safe non-invasive oxygen therapy. It facilitates faster proliferation of tissue and promotes the healing of wounds.
All athletes, who CrossFit, run, play basketball, climb rocks, lift weights, play tennis, ski and ride bikes, can witness pain reduction after using the hyperbaric treatment.
This article covers the sports applications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy with specific examples of five athletes who proved HBOT to be a useful tool for them.
Operation of Hyperbaric Therapy
The chamber of hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides 100% oxygen at high levels of pressure which promotes the body’s own healing process. As oxygen determines the cell activity by itself, HBOT therapy has become a really essential option in the last few years of complex medical therapies. For instance, when tissues within the body are injured.
A patient is given 100% oxygen at elevated pressure in a hyperbaric chamber as a mode of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Oxygen goes through the body liquids including plasma, lymph nodes, and cerebrospinal fluids (CSF), among others as the pressure rises.
When things are normal, our body uses its red blood cells or RBCs, for the transportation of oxygen. Another way that the body helps the healing process is by ensuring enough oxygen goes to the injured tissues when dissolves into the other liquids. By doing this, they assist their athlete’s bodies in their natural regenerative processes.
Advantages of Hyperbaric Therapy
The FDA has for now approved hyperbaric treatment for multiple medical conditions, which include diphtheria, gangrene and decompression sickness.
Improved Recovery
It’s an obvious fact that the body of the athlete is confronted with the stress of competition or training. Therefore, ongoing recovery becomes the foundation of athletes’ performance plans. For example, a mountaineer must be slow to escape the risk of any kind of injury while climbing. His body must be given a chance to recover.
Nevertheless, a sound recovery does not bring the desired result to enhance performance by itself. In fact, it is certainly possible that there will be a drop in performance caused by periods of idleness. Athletes desire an inflammatory response reduction, as well as anoxia, via HBOT therapy to improve recovery.
The benefits of hyperbaric treatment for healing include
- Enhanced stimulation of stem cells.
- Reduced weariness and tiredness.
- Rapid reestablishment of the bone and cartilage structure.
Quick Healing
For nearly every athlete, sports injuries of any kind, no matter how small, are unavoidable. No matter what sport a person plays, injuries are likely to occur when joints are stretched and overworked.
Resting is the conventional treatment for these ailments. It is clear that this healing approach can potentially impair an athlete’s efficiency and performance.
The body’s ability to recover itself can be improved when many sessions of hyperbaric oxygen treatment are used to help this damage. In one research, athletes with injuries received 30-40 minutes of HBOT treatment at 2.4 ATA. As a result, wounded tissues were able to absorb more oxygen and repair more quickly.
- Ligament damage healing.
- recovery from exhaustion and severe stress.
- restoration of damaged cartilage.
TBI and Concussion
There is no chance of traumatic brain damage or concussion for more than one player. NFL players are among those who can get TBI and concussions, though. HBOT treatment is the best path to recovery for these conditions. The pressure rises, which improves oxygenation and aids in concussion and TBI recovery.
5 Sports Personalities Who Use HBOT Therapy
Although the list of sports personalities who use or have used hyperbaric therapy benefits is increasing, here are some of the former players who utilized HBOT therapy.
- LeBron James
LeBron James, who was frequently referred to as “King James,” was an incredible basketball player. LeBron is a successful athlete who took good care of his body while training and recuperation.
This athlete is well-known for devoting a sizeable portion of his earnings to maintaining his health, which includes HBOT therapy, a balanced diet, and private training.
- Joe Namath
Out of all the sports celebrities utilizing HBOT therapy, Joe Namath is the most well-known. Choosing hyperbaric therapy during a period of cognitive decline was his decision. He had five or fewer concussions before working with a group of medical professionals to treat the left side of his skull, which was not receiving enough blood or oxygen.
He had recovered and restored health to his left brain after 120 HBOT treatments.
- Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps is a well-known athlete today who broke the previous record with ten more medals. This is because he discovered a means to accelerate his recuperation in 2012. He used to utilize the HBOT chamber on a regular basis to speed up his recovery from training and return to the gym sooner.
- Rashad Jennings
Now a former NFL player, Rashad Jennings has made HBOT therapy a regular part of his recuperation regimen. He has hauled in 12 touchdowns with the Giants throughout his playing days. He thinks that his cognitive health was also improved by HBOT therapy. It gave him more vitality and assisted in his renewal.
- Rafael Soriano
Pitcher Rafael Soriano is a member of five teams. His ability to enhance his recovery using hyperbaric treatment made this possible. He used to do 90-minute HBOT treatments to stay energized even after intense exercise.
Conclusion
The advantages of hyperbaric treatment are unmatched in the sports industry. This therapy is virtually daily administered to a number of sports celebrities in an effort to shorten the healing period and improve performance. With HBOT therapy, many athletes can even shorten their recovery time following an injury. For this reason, hyperbaric treatment is now being used often by athletes.
