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>