What do Michael Phelps, LeBron James, and Tim Tebow have in common?
They, along with thousands of other world-class athletes, basketball
players, football stars, and Olympians, rely on Hyperbaric Oxygen
Therapy (HBOT) to improve their athletic performance.
In today’s blog post, we’ll look at the reasons why HBOT is a
powerful treatment that any athlete can benefit from. Let’s get
started!
Recovery time may be reduced by up to 33% through the use of HBOT!
Think of HBOT like a fast-forward button for healing and recovery.
By flushing tissues with high levels of oxygen, athletes may
experience benefits like:
Increased stem cell activation
Faster bone and cartilage regeneration
Reduced muscle fatigue and exhaustion
2. Healing & Treating Injuries
1. Active Recovery
Practice, training, conditioning, and competition all stress the
body. Recovery should be a part of every athlete’s training program.
Distance runners and mountain climbers (two athletic activities
especially popular in the Portland area) know that they must take
rest days to allow their bodies to recover after hard workouts.
Gregg Popovich, coach of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and winner of 5
NBA championships, is known for giving his players entire games off
to aid in their recovery during the long basketball season.
However, when it comes to improving athletic performance, recovery
isn’t as simple as just sitting around. Athletes interested in
optimizing their performance should look to avoid passive recovery
and take advantage of active recovery therapies like HBOT. Cristiano
Ronaldo, perhaps the best soccer player in the world, used HBOT to
recover from a knee injury in a fraction of the time it took other
athletes to get back on the pitch.
Reasons Why Athletes Benefit From HBOT
Recovery time may be reduced by up to 33% through the use of HBOT!
Think of HBOT like a fast-forward button for healing and recovery.
By flushing tissues with high levels of oxygen, athletes may
experience benefits like:
Increased stem cell activation
Faster bone and cartilage regeneration
Reduced muscle fatigue and exhaustion
2. Healing & Treating Injuries
Injuries, both major and minor, are an unavoidable fact of life for
most athletes. Whether you’re competing in a contact sport like
football, stressing joints by running, or straining tendons by rock
climbing, even weekend warriors will likely suffer from an injury at
some point.
Over 60% of recreational joggers and runners are sidelined by an
injury every year.
The traditional recipe for injury treatment for most recreational
athletes is focused on rest, rest, and more rest. However, studies
show that HBOT is a truly game-changing therapy for injured
athletes. By using atmospheric pressures of up to 2.4 ATA, HBOT
helps injured tissue absorb many times the amount of oxygen normally
available. A 60-90 minute HBOT treatment allows oxygen to penetrate
deeply into blood, plasma, and cerebral fluids, increasing healing
and circulation where it’s needed most.
Injuries that may be helped with HBOT therapy:
ACL and other ligament injuries
Muscle strains and fatigue
Cartilage damage
3. Concussion and TBI Treatment
While many athletes will never experience a concussion or traumatic
brain injury (TBI), those who do may greatly benefit from HBOT
treatment. NFL players, who suffer from many concussions, have taken
part in studies of HBOT’s effectiveness.
The increased pressure and oxygen-rich environment of an HBOT
treatment can help your body heal itself after a concussion and can
reduce the pain, nausea, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms of
a traumatic brain injury.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy For Athletes
4. Treating Compartment Syndrome
Elite long distance runners and even recreational runners and
joggers may suffer from compartment syndrome. A rare but painful and
potentially dangerous ailment, compartment syndrome is the result of
internal pressure caused by swollen or bleeding tissue. Some experts
say that the high-oxygen environment of an HBOT chamber may be an
effective way to prevent this painful condition.
5. Boosting Performance
What athlete isn’t looking for an edge? Many endurance athletes
train at altitude to increase red blood cell production and the
oxygen-carrying capabilities of their blood. Many athletes are also
turning to HBOT treatments to see similar gains in performance by
increasing circulation and the oxygenation in their blood.
6. Increasing Mental Focus
Competing as an athlete takes more than physical strength and skill.
Mental clarity, stamina, and focus are needed to perform at your
very best! Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may help reduce brain fog and
improve mental focus in athletes.
7. Taking Advantage of the Latest Technologies
Whether it’s Nike’s high-tech running shoes with a stiff carbon
plate, biometric GPS watches that can estimate VO2 Max and optimize
your training, or ketogenic diets designed to help athletes fuel
without excess sugar, competitive athletes are always looking for
the next big thing.
If you’re a competitor in Portland’s local bike racing scene, trying
to run a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, or just want to
feel your best, why wouldn’t you try HBOT? It’s a treatment that’s
trusted by top athletes around the world and one that can help you,
too!
Athletes Who Will Benefit From HBOT
Portland is consistently ranked as one of the fittest cities in the
country. Whether training for the Portland Marathon, playing pickup
basketball at Colonel Summers Park, or gearing up for another ski
season on Mt. Hood’s world-class slopes, it seems like everyone in
Portland is living an active athletic lifestyle.