Sometimes the body needs a little extra help when recovering from an injury. This is where hyperbaric oxygen therapy comes into play. This powerful wellness service can speed up the recovery process and alleviate some of the injury symptoms from the first visit. Read on to learn more.
Sometimes recovering from an injury hurts more than obtaining it. (And it surely lasts longer than it took for you to develop it from the get-go.) Over time, pain can become more intense, swelling may occur, and you may have a limited range of motion for a while until healing is complete. It can be an uncomfortable time, to say the least.
So, the question now is, “How can you heal faster from an injury?” Three words: hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Here, we’ll discuss how this wellness service is beneficial for injury recovery.
Boosts Oxygen Delivery
Oxygen is essential; we need it just to live. But did you know how important oxygen is in injury recovery in particular?
Oxygen is one of the most basic and critical components needed to help the body repair itself. It is a source of energy for infection-fighting white blood cells, tissue-repairing cells, and collagen, which is used to heal tissue.
Inadequate delivery of oxygen to the region in need of healing, on the other hand, can result in a sluggish immune system response. In turn, healing will be prolonged, which can lead to an increased risk of infection.
Encourages the Formation of New Blood Vessels
The formation of new blood vessels, a process coined as angiogenesis, can be brought about through hyperbaric oxygen therapy. New blood vessels can improve recovery by allowing more nutrients to be delivered to the site of injury, removing waste, and improving the health of new tissues which develop in the region.
Angiogenesis can not only be useful for temporary wounds, but it can also be helpful in improving chronic or long-term injuries such as tendonitis, traumatic injuries, infected wounds, and various ulcers.
Inhibits Infections
With any injury, there’s always a risk of an infection developing. Infection can further prolong the recovery time of an injury, increase pain and swelling, may necessitate medical intervention such as surgery, and potentially even trigger life-threatening sepsis if the infection spreads.
The good news is hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help prevent an infection or even speed up its recovery time if there’s an infection already present.
Oxygen therapy prevents and fights infections by delivering more oxygen to white blood cells responsible for attacking foreign bodies, reducing harmful anaerobic bacteria, and ensuring oxygen-deprived tissues are given the source of oxygen they need to repair themselves.
Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation in moderation is a natural response and helps the body repair itself. However, as ironic as it might seem, too much inflammation can lead to delayed healing or wounds. Excess inflammation can also cause more pain, unsightly swelling, and reduced mobility and flexibility.
Oxygen therapy sessions can help reduce inflammation by flushing inflammatory byproducts, reducing oxidative stress, and regulating the immune system response through the proper oxygenation of immune cells. Not only can reduced inflammation speed up injury recovery, but it can also make the recovery process less painful overall.
Have you recently dealt with an injury? Whether it was from an accident or after surgery, it may be time to get on board with oxygen therapy. Call Recovery Lab today for further information.
