Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Pain Management
Chronic pain affects millions of people globally. For many, this pain is more than a passing annoyance—it greatly diminishes their quality of life and productivity. Traditional treatments for chronic pain aren’t always effective, and some have more risk than reward. However, that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to living in pain. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an innovative treatment now being used to treat a host of painful conditions. Let’s take a deeper look into HBOT, inflammatory responses, and pain relief.
Chronic Pain Can Be Tricky to Treat
Chronic pain is defined as persistent discomfort that lasts for weeks, months, or even years. Back pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia are just a few examples of pain that doesn’t go away with usual treatments. This pain can be debilitating, affecting mental health, sleep, and ability to go about daily activities. But despite being such a widespread problem, chronic pain can be incredibly difficult to treat. While medications and physical therapy offer some relief, they often come with side effects and limited efficacy. Painkillers can lead to dependency, and surgeries carry inherent risks. Because of this, many people forego treatment altogether.
Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Help With Chronic Pain?
If you’re living with chronic pain, there is help on the horizon. Baromedical Associates is a leading voice in HBOT, a game-changing treatment that impacts pain modulation and inflammatory responses. New research is published all the time showcasing promising results. Here are just a few of the ways hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help with chronic pain:
- Reduced Inflammation—One of the key benefits of HBOT is its ability to alleviate inflammation. By delivering more oxygen to inflamed tissues, HBOT helps to calm the inflammation and ease the pain.
- Accelerated Healing—For chronic pain sufferers, damaged tissues are a significant source of discomfort. By enhancing the body’s natural healing processes, HBOT often provides long-term relief.
- Enhanced Blood Flow—HBOT stimulates the formation of new blood vessels which improves blood flow to affected areas. This increased circulation delivers essential nutrients and oxygen, aiding in pain reduction and promoting overall health.
Conditions That Benefit From HBOT
Over the years, the team at Baromedical Associates has successfully treated a range of chronic pain conditions with HBOT. This treatment approach may be beneficial for you if you’re living with any of the following:
- Arthritis—Patients with arthritis often experience significant improvement with HBOT. The therapy reduces joint inflammation and promotes cartilage repair, in addition to general pain relief.
- Fibromyalgia—HBOT has shown promise in reducing fibromyalgia pain and fatigue by enhancing oxygen delivery to muscles and tissues.
- Chronic Back Pain—If you don’t have chronic back pain yourself, you likely know someone who does. Thankfully, many sufferers of chronic back pain have found relief through HBOT. By targeting inflammation and promoting tissue repair, the therapy helps alleviate pain and improve mobility.
HBOT as Part of Your Pain Management Plan
While HBOT has emerged as a top treatment in pain management, it shouldn’t be used by itself. For best results, patients should combine HBOT with traditional treatments, like physical therapy and medication, as directed by their healthcare team.
When you look to Baromedical Associates for pain management help, we’ll track your symptoms and progress, all while consulting with your other providers to assess the effectiveness of treatment. Through this approach, countless patients have reported long-term relief from chronic pain. Consistent treatment can lead to sustained improvements in pain levels and overall quality of life.
HBOT’s Promising Results in Scientific Studies
The science is in—HBOT is often a fantastic way to relieve pain and heal wounds in record time. Although realistic expectations are still important, studies are showing vast improvements in pain management using HBOT. Here’s what the science is saying:
- A study published by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health found that just two months of HBOT treatment led to increased pain thresholds, improved physical function, and enhanced quality of life. Female patients with fibromyalgia also reported fewer tender points and reduced psychological distress1.
- A special report co-authored by a researcher from the Haydarpasa Training Hospital investigated the wide-reaching benefits of HBOT for pain conditions. The report concludes that HBOT can be used as an alternative treatment method for chronic pain, especially in cases of fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, migraines, and cluster headache attacks2.
- Pain Research and Management published a 2021 article focusing on the efficacy of HBOT on chronic neuropathic pain. The authors concluded that HBOT tends to improve pain-related symptoms and boost overall quality of life3.
Get Pain Relief With Baromedical Associates
Too often, people live with chronic pain and don’t seek treatment. If you’re resigned to back pain or arthritis, reach out to Baromedical Associates. We are leading the charge in HBOT technology, and we’re here to help you find the relief you deserve. Our Dallas-based team can explain the benefits of HBOT in-depth, from pain management to its relation to neuroplasticity. Contact us today for more information.
1 Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the Treatment of Chronic Pain
2 Pain management and hyperbaric oxygen therapy
3 Mechanistic Rationale and Clinical Efficacy of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Neuropathic Pain