PT & HBOT: A Great Combination in Recovery
Physical therapy (PT) is an important component in the treatment of many injuries, disorders, and diseases. PT is perhaps best known as a treatment for sports injuries, which are usually injuries to joints, bones, tendons, and muscles. Athletes tend to get frequent injuries due to their intense, regular, full-time physical activity. But of course, anyone can get injured, and many non-athletes can benefit from PT. Some common injuries and disorders treated with PT include lymphedema, muscular dystrophy, osteoporosis, shin splints, ACL tears, and arthritis.
PT is just one part of a comprehensive treatment plan for healing various injuries and disorders. Other common components include rest, ice or heat, healthy nutrition, and lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or cutting back on alcohol. But for many people, this protocol is not enough, and they suffer from chronic, lifelong pain or disability despite treatment. Fortunately, there is a safe, effective, medically proven treatment that can help repair your nerves, encourage bone regeneration, reduce your pain, and increase your mobility. It’s not yet part of many PT protocols, but we believe it should be. It’s called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT for short.
HBOT involves breathing 100% infused oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. This enables oxygen to reach every part of the body, where it both repairs damaged cells and encourages new cellular growth (1). At the same time, HBOT promotes circulation and stem cell growth, which reduces inflammation and supports the immune system (1). For decades, HBOT has proven effective for treating a multitude of medical conditions, including diabetic wound healing, post-operative recovery, arthritis, and radiation skin damage (2).
We’ve known for some time that HBOT can be beneficial for many conditions, beyond the well-known ones like decompression sickness and gangrene. Because of HBOT’s ability to stimulate cell regeneration, it is becoming more widely used as a treatment for wound healing. This effectiveness at healing wounds also applies to other injuries, like to bones and muscles. A 2011 journal article on HBOT and sports injuries concluded that this treatment can be effective at sports injuries, but stressed that more research was needed (3). In the ten years since, there has been more research, and we keep current on new research.
A 2015 study on mice found that HBOT has the potential to significantly enhance bone and tissue regeneration in mammals, and may reduce pain in osteoporosis and fracture patients (5). To read more scientific research on HBOT’s benefits for osteoporosis and bone regeneration, check out this research from 2021, 2020, and 2017.
There is not yet much research specifically about HBOT and PT, but we have seen their combined effectiveness in our clinic. Our patients who incorporate HBOT into their PT regimen have shorter recovery times, increased mobility, and better overall outcomes. We will work with your physical therapist to tailor an HBOT protocol to the unique needs of your injury and your body.
At Holistic Hyperbarics, we believe in the benefits of combining HBOT with PT because we have seen how it greatly improves the lives of our patients. We work with everyone, and would love to tailor an HBOT regimen to your specific neuropathy needs. If you are currently in PT or about to start, we would love to support your recovery by adding in HBOT. Our state-of-the art spa features knowledgeable staff, a relaxing environment, and comfortable hyperbaric chambers. We’d love to answer your questions about PT and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Give us a call today.
SOURCES:
Staff, Mayo Clinic. “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 Jan. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy/about/pac-20394380.
Staff, IHAUSA. “Anti Aging.” International Hyperbarics Association, International Hyperbarics Association, 2020, www.ihausa.org/anti-aging.html.