Table of Contents
Have you ever dreamed of scaling mountains without feeling like you’re going to pass out? Do you train like a Navy S.E.A.L.? Are you trying to figure out how to push your body to the next level of fitness? Then you’re probably familiar with hyperbolic training.
For many years, athletes have used hyperbolic masks to try and prepare for higher altitude conditions. But most people don’t know anything about hyperbaric chamber treatment. Read on to discover more.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that enhances the body’s natural healing processes and increases oxygen flow.
Here’s all there is to know about how hyperbaric chamber treatment works
What Is Hyperbaric Chamber Treatment
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that enhances the body’s natural healing processes and increases oxygen flow. In this form of therapy, the patient breathes pure oxygen in a pressurized tube or room.
Your body tissue needs a lot of oxygen to survive. When your body tissue sustains damage, it requires more oxygen than usual to survive.
Hyperbaric oxygen chambers provide extra oxygen your body tissue needs to restore itself. The increased oxygen levels restore other gases and tissue function.
For example, if you’re suffering from a flesh-eating infection, the dying tissue needs more oxygen to survive. A hyperbaric chamber can provide extra oxygen to aid the tissue’s survival.
Usually, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an outpatient procedure. However, if you’re hospitalized before treatment, you’ll likely remain hospitalized post-treatment.
What Does Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy Treat
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy first came about in the early 20th century. A patient was dying from the flu, spent time in the hyperbaric chamber, and fully recovered. Later, the U.S. discontinued the chamber after it failed to produce definitive results for other conditions.
In the 1940s, the U.S. Navy used hyperbaric chamber treatment for deep-sea divers suffering from decompression sickness. In the 1960s, they expanded the therapy for people who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.
The U.S. still treats those conditions with hyperbaric chamber treatment today, but the list of its potential benefits expanded over the years. The following are conditions treated by hyperbaric chamber treatment.
- Cyanide poisoning
- Gas gangrene
- Decompression sickness
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Inadequate blood flow to the arteries
- Compromised skin grafts and flaps
- Flesh-eating disease
- Delayed radiation therapy
- Bone infections (osteomyelitis)
- Air or gas embolism
- Certain diabetic wounds
Hyperbaric chamber treatment falls under most healthcare plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. However, they may not cover every condition, depending on the circumstances. Patients should consult with their insurance and physician before trying hyperbaric chamber treatment.
A Relatively Unknown Treatment Method
The vast majority of fitness-minded people are familiar with hyperbolic training masks. However, hyperbaric treatment chambers are mostly unknown in the fitness circle.
Given the potential benefits of hyperbaric treatment chambers, it will be interesting to see if the medical community discovers benefits for the average citizen. If this happens, it wouldn’t be surprising to see fitness facilities begin investing in chambers of their own.
Check out more of our blogs to discover new and interesting facets today!
