Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Be The Answer To Chronic Pain Management?
Unlike acute pain, with chronic pain, the pain persists beyond the duration of the injury or initial onset of a condition. On many occasions for no known reason, this pain persists and doesn’t really go away. It can be constant or intermittent and last for months or even years. Despite many efforts, it’s not easy to treat or manage, due to pain always resurfacing again.
Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Help?
At Progressive Rehabilitation Medicine, our HBOT uses slightly less than 100% oxygen that is delivered into a hyperbaric chamber. Our hyperbaric chamber is a soft-sided vessel that has the ability to be pressurized to 1.3 atmospheres which simulates diving under water. A treatment session, otherwise known as a “dive” lasts anywhere from 30-120 minutes. The number of treatments needed varies from patient to patient; it’s based on the condition being treated and how well the patient is responding.
What Does The Research Say?
There have been recent studies indicating how HBOT can be used as a treatment modality for many issues including:
- decompression sickness
- wound care
- carbon monoxide exposure
- fibromyalgia syndrome
- complex regional pain syndrome
- myofascial pain syndrome
- migraine and cluster headaches
- sports injuries
- and more…
There is increasing evidence about the benefits of HBOT and is said to be one of the safest, non-invasive treatment methods in medicine. There are few side effects and most are slight and reversible. For example, a study in Current Pain and Headache Reports shows how HBOT in the treatment of chronic pain management is promising and effective.
Source: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Pain Management, Senol Yildiz, MD et.al., Current Pain and Headache Reports, 2006.
If you are interested in learning more about Progressive Rehabilitation Medicine‘s multi-modal treatment plans that include HBOT and IV Nutrition, set up a consultation with Dr. Sunny Kim and his team in Cedar Rapids today!