What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT, is a specialized form of medical treatment administered by delivering 100% pure oxygen to the body through increased atmospheric pressure greater than 1.3 ATA in an enclosed hard chamber.
At pressures greater than normal, the body can incorporate more oxygen into blood cells, blood plasma, cerebral-spinal fluid, and other bodily fluids. The increased oxygen absorption experienced during Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy significantly enhances the body’s ability to aid in its healing.
How it works
At pressures greater than normal, the body can incorporate more oxygen into blood cells, blood plasma, cerebral-spinal fluid, and other bodily fluids. The increased oxygen absorption experienced during Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy significantly enhances the body’s ability to aid in its healing.
Once a person is in the increased atmospheric pressure, the body responds by reducing inflammation. With the inflammation reduced, blood flow to cells increases, enhancing the delivery of oxygen to oxygen-deprived areas.
At this point, the body’s healing process accelerates.
The body’s natural healing mechanisms can now function efficiently because the damaged tissues are receiving more oxygen. Even when the blood supply has been compromised, tissues can still receive the healing benefits of oxygen from other body fluids and plasma in the surrounding area.
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Hyperbaric Oxygenation
100% oxygen under pressure causes the oxygen to saturate the blood, diffusing into the blood plasma completely. This oxygenated plasma can travel past the restriction, diffusing up to 4 times further into the tissue. The pressurized environment helps to reduce swelling and discomfort while providing the body with at least ten times its normal supply of oxygen to help repair tissue damaged by the original occlusion or subsequent hypoxic condition.
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Blood Vessel Regeneration
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) forces more oxygen into the tissue, encouraging the formation of new blood vessels. As these new blood vessels develop, the red blood cells start to flow, delivering even more oxygen to the affected area. This creates the optimal environment for the body’s natural healing processes to repair damaged tissue.
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Normal Blood Flow
There is 21% oxygen in the air that we breathe, and our lungs transfer this oxygen to our red blood cells (via haemoglobin). These oxygen-filled red blood cells are carried around the body by the plasma (fluid), which travels through the blood vessels. The oxygen diffuses into the surrounding tissue ensuring that it is delivered to where it is needed most.
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Restricted Blood Flow
When there is a restriction (occlusion) in blood flow due to surgery, illness, or injury, the red blood cells block the blood vessel and are unable to transfer oxygen to the cells on the other side of the occlusion. This causes swelling and starves the area of oxygen, causing hypoxia (a lack of oxygen), when this occurs the tissue begins to break down.
