Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very serious condition that can negatively effect a person’s quality of life. There is no known treatment that can permanently solve the condition, but at best, doctors are only able to alleviate the symptoms associated with it.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spinal cord injury that might be helpful. The treatment uses a pressurized chamber to increase oxygen levels various parts of the body. Human and animal studies have shown that this treatment even helps protect the brain and spinal cord from further damage after an injury or post-op.

Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury describes damage to the spinal cord from either physical trauma (like a car accident) or from disease or degeneration (like cancer). It is difficult to determine the exact number of people affected worldwide, but it is estimated that there are 40 to 80 new cases per million people each year. Most spinal cord injuries are caused by trauma, accounting for about 90% of cases. However, there seems to be an increase in the number of cases that are not caused by trauma.

When someone sustains an injury to their spinal cord, the symptoms they feel are contingent upon the severity of the injury as well as the location of the damage. They risk losing the ability to feel things or control their body. In extreme circumstances, the injuries may interfere with vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and the ability to use the restroom. Injuries to the spinal cord can result in chronic pain for the patient. The swelling that occurs after an accident makes matters worse because it prevents blood and oxygen from reaching the damaged area. This makes the injury more severe.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment where the patient breathes in pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber for a period of time. It works by increasing the amount of oxygen that is dissolved and absorbed in the body’s fluids, such as blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. This increase in oxygen can stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue repair.

To understand how HBOT works, let’s imagine we are climbing a mountain. As we ascend to higher altitudes, the air pressure decreases because there are fewer oxygen molecules available. We might notice that the air grows thinner and it becomes harder to breathe the higher we get. At the summit of Mount Everest, for example, the air pressure is only about one-third of what it is at sea level, and the body has to work much harder to get the oxygen it needs to function.

Now, let’s again imagine this time, instead of climbing a mountain, we are descending below sea-level with our own oxygen supply, to a depth where the pressure is greatly increased. As the pressure increases, the concentration of oxygen in the air we breathe also increases. This means that with each breath, we are taking in more oxygen than we ever could at sea level. These are the conditions that the Hyperbaric chamber simulates in a safe and controlled environment where the benefits of high pressures can be harnessed while avoiding negative side-effects. In fact, at a pressure of 2.4 atmospheres absolute (ATA) – the pressure used in many HBOT treatments – the concentration of oxygen in the air we breathe is equivalent to that at an altitude of about 66 feet below sea level.

This dramatic increase in oxygen concentration has a number of benefits for the body. First, it allows more oxygen to be dissolved and absorbed into the blood plasma, which means this vital oxygen can be transported to areas of the body where the blood vessels are too narrow to allow red blood cells to pass through. This can also help to promote healing in areas where there is limited blood flow, such as in injured or damaged tissues.

Secondly, the increased oxygen concentration can help to reduce inflammation by increasing the production of antioxidants and reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This can help to decrease swelling and pain, as well as promote tissue repair.

Basically, HBOT works by increasing the concentration of oxygen in the body’s fluids, which can stimulate the body’s (and that includes the spinal cord) natural healing processes and promote tissue repair. By simulating a high-pressure environment, it provides a unique and effective way to deliver oxygen to areas of the body that may be difficult to reach with traditional treatments.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy For Spinal Cord Injury

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spinal cord injury can help by providing the injured tissues with increased oxygen it encourages the growth of new blood vessels, ultimately leading to the formation of new tissue, otherwise known as healing.

When a person suffers from SCI, the tissues surrounding the injured area could die from lack of oxygen supply, a condition known as hypoxia. This results in a lack of blood flow and the formation of anoxic zones (areas without oxygen) that can further damage the spinal cord.

HBOT helps by increasing the concentration of oxygen in the body by breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The increased oxygen concentration helps to reduce the size of the anoxic zones, thereby promoting the growth of new blood vessels and tissues in the injured area. This, in turn, can help to reduce inflammation, promote healing, and improve the functionality of the spinal cord.

Moreover, hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spinal cord injury also stimulates the production of growth factors and stem cells, which can help to repair the damaged tissues and promote the growth of new ones. It can also reduce swelling and edema, which can further damage the spinal cord.

Many patients and doctors have reported success with the use of hyperbaric oxygen as an off-label treatment for spinal cord injuries.

By decreasing the body’s inflammatory response, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is found to lessen the severity of secondary injuries. This provides strong support for the use of HBOT after spinal cord injuries, not just to mitigate further damage from inflammation, but also to increase oxygen flow to the injured area and hasten the healing process without impairing functionality.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Found to Be Safe and Effective for Incomplete Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries

A recent retrospective study has found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) who have undergone surgery. The study, conducted at Shulan Hangzhou Hospital in China, compared patients who received HBOT in addition to conventional treatment with those who received conventional treatment alone. The results showed that the HBOT group had a higher total effectiveness rate and better recovery outcomes than the non-HBOT group.

SCI is a traumatic injury that affects the spinal cord, causing various degrees of paralysis or loss of function. Incomplete SCI refers to injuries in which there is some remaining function or sensation below the level of the injury. The goal of treatment for incomplete SCI is to promote healing and maximize recovery of function. Surgery, nerve decompression, and internal fixation procedures are commonly used to treat incomplete SCI.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spinal cord injury therapy is a non-invasive treatment that involves exposing the patient to 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, which enhances oxygen delivery to the body’s tissues. HBOT has been used to treat a variety of conditions, including wounds, carbon monoxide poisoning, and decompression sickness. It has also been used to promote healing and reduce inflammation in spinal cord injuries.

The study included 78 patients with incomplete cervical SCI who underwent surgery within 2 weeks of their injury. The patients were divided into two groups: the HBOT group, which received HBOT in addition to conventional treatment, and the non-HBOT group, which received conventional treatment alone. The researchers evaluated the patients’ spinal functions and activities of daily living (ADL) using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scale and the Barthel Index at various time points after the surgical procedure.

The results of the study showed that the HBOT group had a significantly higher total effectiveness rate than the non-HBOT group (90% vs. 78.9%). The ASIA scores and Barthel indices also showed significant differences between the two groups at various time points, with the HBOT group showing better recovery outcomes than the non-HBOT group. The researchers found that the peak in recovery occurred within the first three months after the surgical procedure, and that the longer the HBOT lasted (initiated within 3 months after the surgery), the better the outcomes.

The study’s findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spinal cord injury can be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with incomplete cervical SCI who have undergone surgery. The results also indicate that HBOT can promote spinal cord function, reduce disabilities, and improve patients’ quality of life. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine the optimal duration and timing of HBOT for patients with SCI.

The study provided promising evidence for the use of HBOT in the treatment of incomplete cervical SCI. The findings highlight the importance of considering HBOT as a potential treatment option for patients with SCI who have undergone surgery, and the need for further research in this area.

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