Medical rehabilitation involves the implementation of a series of activities aimed at training individuals who have partially or completely lost this ability due to injury, illness, congenital defect or some other cause to live or work independently. It is an integral part of treatment in all branches of medicine, especially in neurology, cardiology, orthopedics and sports medicine.

How HBO helps in rehabilitation and sport

As physical therapy encompasses a range of activities that require muscle work, or muscle contraction when performing therapeutic exercises, it can pose a significant burden on the entire body, taking into account the fact that due to illness or injury, the endurance and ability to perform greater physical exertion in people undergoing rehabilitation is reduced.

Physical strain, in addition to the locomotor apparatus, also includes the cardiovascular, respiratory, and hematopoietic systems.

During physical exertion, there is an increased utilization of oxygen in the blood by the muscles, which leads to the so-called "oxygen depletion". As a result, local blood flow in the muscles increases 10-20 times in order to meet the need for oxygen and nutrients, as well as to remove metabolic products.

By increasing local blood flow, total cardiac output and heart rate increase, as well as respiratory minute volume, i.e. the amount of air inhaled into the lungs.

The same physiological mechanism occurs in the organism of a healthy, physically hardy athlete.

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO), as a procedure of inhaling 100% medical oxygen under conditions of increased ambient pressure, has proven to be a useful method of treating patients during medical rehabilitation, i.e. physical therapy, as well as in healthy athletes.

The benefit is found in the increase in physically dissolved oxygen in the plasma during the HBO procedure, which corrects the "oxygen depletion" of muscle cells and increases maximum aerobic capacity during and after physical exertion, i.e. increases endurance and reduces local and general fatigue.

The increase in dissolved oxygen in plasma during HBO significantly reduces the levels of lactate, pyruvate and ammonia in the blood, which are products of muscle metabolism and are produced in increased amounts during physical exertion, contributing to muscle fatigue.

The usefulness of HBO in the treatment of sports injuries has also been proven in reducing swelling and pain in the acute phase of the injury, stimulating the healing process of the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or bone in terms of collagen formation and tissue repair, as well as improving microcirculation and having an anti-inflammatory effect.

By inhaling oxygen at elevated pressure, we can increase the limits of an athlete's physical ability and performance. The positive effects of HBO certainly contribute to faster and more efficient recovery after physical exertion and exhaustion, as well as a faster return to full sports activity after sports injuries.

Numerous professional sports teams around the world use HBO as a supplementary method of treating sports injuries, in combination with physical therapy procedures, or as a procedure for faster recovery of biochemical changes in the body after greater physical exertion.

The use of HBO in sports medicine remains an open area for numerous studies, especially proving whether breathing 100% medical oxygen at elevated ambient pressure can increase the limits of physical abilities, and improve exercise and physical performance in athletes.

Effects of HBO by indication

HBO use after stroke

1. activation of "dormant" nerve cells
2. muscle spasm relief
3. ease of movement
4. reducing the risk of recurrence of an acute episode
5. motor strength enhancement
6. increasing capacity for physical and mental exertion

HBO use after head injuries

1. reduction of brain edema
2. reducing muscle spasms
3. relief of post-traumatic headache
4. acceleration of recovery
5. improving cognitive abilities in combination with mental gymnastics

Use of HBO in multiple sclerosis

1. reduction of focal edema of nervous tissue
2. increase in tissue oxygen concentration
3. anti-inflammatory effect
4. improving balance, gait and movement coordination
5. improving bladder function
6. reducing disease relapse

Use of HBO in paraplegia

1. muscle spasm relief
2. Ammonia concentration decreases during muscle strain
3. physical exertion capacity increases
4. vital capacity increases

Use of HBO in toxic encephalopathy (CO poisoning)

1. correction of tissue hypoxia
2. reduction of brain edema
3. suppression of cardiac arrhythmias
4. reduction of neurological damage
5. reducing headaches and nausea

The use of HBO in the rehabilitation of cardiac muscle ischemia

1. prevention of recurrence of acute ischemic episodes
2. physical endurance capacity increases
3. blood arterial pressure is lowered in hypertensive patients
4. reduction of atherosclerotic plaques

Use of HBO in peripheral vascular disease

1. increasing exercise capacity without pain
2. relief of pain at rest and during exertion
3. correction of biochemical disorders of metabolites in ischemic muscle strain

Application of HBO in weakness of the facial nerve

1. reduction of focal edema of nervous tissue
2. reduction of neurological deficit
3. activation of ''dormant'' nerve cells
4. improvement of microcirculation

Application of HBO in sports injuries

1. reduction of swelling and pain in the acute stage
2. stimulating the healing process of damaged tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament, bone)
3. accelerated recovery after kinesiotherapy, reduction of local and general fatigue
4. faster return to active exercise and full sports activity