Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Sports-Related TBI

For decades now, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been an off-label use for traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s). More and more, private clinics are opening up to provide this therapy for those suffering from TBI’s (both acute and chronic victims) and documenting success. Now, a recent article has just been published showing two football players that were successfully treated for TBI. Both were documented with their improvements by functional brain imaging concomitantly with neurological examinations. Of important note, one player was suffering from symptoms of TBI for more than 10 years and still showed benefits from HBOT. With more professional athletes being diagnosed with concussions and putting their career at risk, the implications for timely hyperbaric therapy are enormous <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy improves post-concussion syndrome

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has received a lot of attention over the past 20 years for helping patients following traumatic events. Though this therapy is not part of the approved medical treatments for traumatic brain injuries, both clinical research data and case reports have documented that there is a potential benefit from this procedure. Of late, mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI’s) have been in the news, due to the increasing understanding and concerns with concussions, particularly with athletes in sporting events. This study took 56 patients who had prolonged post-concussion syndrome following 1-5 years post mTBI. A “typical” program of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (this HBOT protocol included 40 treatment sessions (5 days/week), 60 minutes each, with 100% oxygen at 1.5 ATA ) was given to the treatment group, which demonstrated significant improvements. These results led the researchers of this study to conclude that “HBOT can induce neuroplasticity leading to repair of chronically impaired brain functions and improved quality of life in mTBI patients with prolonged PCS at late chronic stage” <view stage>

Low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of blast-induced chronic traumatic brain injury (post-concussion syndrome) and post traumatic stress disorder

“A 25-year-old male military veteran presented with diagnoses of post-concussion syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder three years after the loss of consciousness from an explosion in combat”

This patient underwent 39 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy at 1.5 ATA and the results were astounding. Not only did he show a permanent marked improvement in his post-concussive symptoms, physical exam findings, and brain blood flow, but he also experienced a complete resolution of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen shows benefits for TBI victims, even up to 5 years after the event

This was one of the first trials that produced sound research to support the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for TBI sufferers. Much more importantly, they were able to demonstrate positive outcomes with this procedure, even 5 years after the accidents or traumas. The protocol used was a lower dose of only 1.5 ATA, but was repeated 5 days per week for a total of 8 weeks (40 hour protocol). Due to the late onset of the 40 hour hyperbaric protocol, researchers were able to conclude that “HBOT can induce neuroplasticity (new brain tissue) leading to repair of chronically impaired brain functions and improved quality of life in mTBI patients with prolonged PCS at late chronic stage” <view study>

Treating Severe Traumatic Brain Injury using the combination of Neurofeedback and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Most people who have had a significant brain injury will require extensive rehabilitation. They may need to relearn basic skills, such as walking or talking. The goal is to improve their abilities to perform daily activities.

In this case study, a 26-year-old male suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a motor vehicle accident. He was discharged after 8 months and left with significant speech, ambulation, spasticity, and cognitive issues as well as the onset of post-traumatic epilepsy.

The family decided to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and the combination of Neurofeedback (NFB) with HBOT “improved plasticity and functionality in the areas of injury and the correlated symptoms including short-term memory, personality, language, and executive function, as well as significantly reducing the incidence of seizures”

These results suggest that HBOT combined with NFB may be a viable option in treating severe brain injuries and should be investigated <view study>

Low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen helps blast-induced injured military subjects with post concussion disorder and PTSD

16 military subjects received a ‘typical dose’ of low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (40 sessions at 1.5 ATA for 60 min HBOT within 30 days) for mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries.

After treatment, they demonstrated significant improvement in impulsivity, mood, anxiety, quality of life scores, and more. Their SPECT brain scans showed remarkable overall improvement in blood flow

These results were confirmed with brain imaging scans which showed&nbsp; remarkable improvements in blood flow to these regions of the brain, following the course of treatments. <view study>

Move over Prozac; Hyperbaric oxygen demonstrates its anti-depressant effects

If you are suffering from depression and have had a past history of head injury or concussion, then pay close attention to a new study published in the Journal of World Neurosurgery, 2017. It is very well known that 50% of those people that are afflicted with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) will also suffer from major depression and be put on antidepressants like Prozac. However, this and many other reasons for depression, are clearly related to inflammation inside the brain (neuroinflammation). With knowledge of this information, along with the understanding of the anti-inflammatory properties of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in the brain, researchers carried out a study to help us evaluate and see if HBOT could provide relief for TBI victims suffering from depression. The results demonstrated that HBOT was able to significantly diminish TBI-induced depression-like behavior, through its anti-inflammatory effects in the brain. <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen for Concussions — A multi center observational study

Concussions, classified as mild traumatic brain injuries, are currently a major growing concern. The more we learn about this condion, the more we are able to see its devastating and long-lasting effects – even from just one concussion! Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a very simple and safe procedure that has helped many patients recover from traumatic brain and head injuries. Recently more attention has been focused on hyperbaric oxygen therpay for concussion recovery, with overwhelmingly positive results. This study supports these reported benefits and demonstrated improvement in 21 of 25 neurocognitive test measures that were observed. Subjects received 40-82 one-hour treatments at 1.5 atmospheres absolute 100% oxygen <view study>

Preconditioning the brain with hyperbaric oxygen therapy before stroke/TBI to reduce the damage

Currently, there is a great deal of focus and attention being put on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, due to the promising results seen in clinical research and the potential application that this can have for those individuals who have suffered a stroke or TBI. Now, there is strong evidence supporting the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy BEFORE brain trauma or injury, by preconditioning the brain with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

This study shows that HBOT preconditioning stands as a robust prophylactic treatment for sequestration of inflammation inherent in stroke and TBI. Though we can’t predict when the brain will be under traumatic stress (unless it’s a planned surgical procedure), hyperbaric oxygen may become one of the best ways to protect our brain from future injuries. The following groups of individuals would be the ones that would most likely benefit:

• Athletes and contact sports affect the head

• Patients undergoing planned brain surgery

• High-risk stroke patients

• Those who are at risk for neurodegenerative conditions

• Elderly

The future holds bright for the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for being part of both the treatment of brain trauma and the prevention of the severity of damage that can subsequently occur <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for persistent post concussion syndrome

All participants in this study were diagnosed with persistent post-concussion syndrome related to mild traumatic brain injury. A randomized group received a full course of 40 hyperbaric treatments at 1.5 ATA, daily for 60 minutes, 5 consecutive days per week, for a total of 8 weeks (2-month long hyperbaric intervention).

The hyperbaric subjects experienced significant improvements in memory, anxiety, sleep, PTSD symptoms, and quality of life.

More importantly, After crossing over to HBOT the Control Group experienced near-identical significant improvements. Further improvements were experienced by both groups after completion of their last hyperbaric session, during the 2-month follow-up period.<view study>

1.6 vs 2.2 ATA of hyperbaric oxygen for traumatic brain injuries?

The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for dramatic brain injury (TBI) has been confirmed by many studies. Now the question is “what is the best dose (ie, pressure protocol) to achieve the optimal benefits.

As new research becomes available, it appears that the lower the pressure, the stronger the benefits. This study confirms the recent data, by showing that 1.6 ATA hyperbaric intervention was superior to 2.2ATA for neurological impairment and the restoration of symptoms following TBI.

Researchers in this study suggested that “for the first time that 1.6 ATA HBO has an important protective role in inhibiting both the cytotoxic and the pro-inflammatory actions of histones in the early stage of secondary brain injury”. <view study>