Hyperbaric chamber therapy, otherwise known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), is a medical treatment used to help boost the body’s natural healing processes.

Historically, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was first used in the U.S. in the early 1900s. Later, it was used to treat decompression sickness, a hazard of scuba diving. Today, HBOT is prescribed and supervised medically by institutions such as Mayo Clinic, and it may even be covered by insurance (depending on the condition it’s used to treat). One method of HBOT involves a person receiving the treatment inside of a tube-like chamber. Some tubes are made of clear acrylic, allowing patients to see outside of the chamber. This transparency may eliminate some of the potential anxiety a person may have of feeling trapped inside the tube.

During HBOT, a patient is instructed to lie down in the enclosed chamber and breathe the air inside the tube as the pressure is gradually increased.

Another mode of treatment, such as that offered at Mayo Clinic, is a multiperson hyperbaric oxygen room, where oxygen is delivered via a mask or a lightweight clear hood placed over the head. In this scenario, a person can sit or lie down in a lounge chair—there is no tube or chamber with this method.

Increased Oxygen

There is no way of controlling how much oxygen gets absorbed into the body. HBOT is a way to hypothetically turn up the volume of oxygen absorption by increasing the atmospheric pressure. The pressure inside the chamber is normally two to three times greater than outside air pressure, which means patients are inhaling 100% oxygen.

Hyperbaric chambers work by providing oxygen that can be controlled. Normally, oxygen is transported throughout the body—after it initially gets absorbed by the lungs­­—then circulates to all the tissues and organs via the heart and blood vessels.

HBOT allows for oxygen to be dissolved in the blood, body fluids, cerebral spinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal column), bone tissue, and lymph nodes. Oxygen-rich fluids in the body can then travel to areas where blood circulation is blocked.

HBOT is said to help the body by assisting with the following functions:

  • Helping the immune cells of the body to kill bacteria
  • Reducing inflammation
  • Allowing for collateral circulation (growth of new blood vessels to provide extra oxygen to affected areas of the body)

Benefits

The body needs oxygen to heal itself. Many injuries and illnesses involve the lack of oxygen-rich blood, which is then unable to travel to affected areas of the body.

For example, diabetes can result in poor and slowed circulation, making it more difficult for oxygen-rich red blood cells to reach wounded areas of the skin. This results in injuries that are very slow to heal or injuries that do not heal at all.

HBOT has been used to treat many different medical conditions and injuries that benefit from having an increased level of oxygen in the tissues. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be utilized as a stand-alone treatment or a procedure that can boost the action of medicine, such as antibiotic