Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
"Hyper" means increased, "Baric" means pressure. Combined with oxygen, this treatment method called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (high pressure oxygen or HBOT) has been used with success for many years in wound care, treating infections, and many other conditions. Using pure oxygen under increased pressure, speeds up and enhances the body's natural ability to heal.
As understanding of how important oxygen can be in treating a variety of conditions grows, HBOT is now on the leading edge of appropriate treatment modalities. It has been determined to be an effective treatment for a broad range of patients with special needs.
HBOT & Intensive Physical Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is recognized as being successful in helping patients suffering from some of the most debilitating brain conditions. Combined with Intensive Physical Therapy, HBOT is particularly suitable for treating children with neurological conditions and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, anoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and stroke. While HBOT is not a “cure-all”, the indications for its use continue to grow.
Regardless of whether the brain's injury is traumatic (accidental) or vascular (stroke), all share a resulting destruction of brain cells, and the formation of "idling" neurons. Recent studies support the hypothesis that traumatic, vascular and anoxic brain injuries all have a common pathology, which includes the possibility of recoverable brain tissue.
HBOT can be used as an adjunct to physical rehabilitation. It has greatly improved the functioning of many patients, by reactivating the idling neurons surrounding the most severely damaged or oxygen-deficient areas of their brains.
When professionally administered soon after an accident, HBOT can drastically reduce the amount of injury. However, patients suffering from brain damage have benefited from HBOT, even years after their incidents occurred.