Brain Injuries / TBI

HBOT has been recognized world-wide for its benefits on head injuries and TBI’s. Here at the Advanced Hyperbaric & Recovery Center, we have not only treated patients in this category, but our successes have brought some right out of comas.

Head injuries and TBI’s are most commonly thought of in motor vehicle injuries; however, this affects many more individuals, like skiing accidents and major falls. Of recent interest have been military personnel and veterans with acquired brain injuries, from blast injuries and implosive devices.  This segment of the population is receiving a large interest, not only due to their line of duty but also due to the encouraging results when placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

HBOT clearly demonstrates its value in TBI’s by helping many helping many patients recover far beyond expectation. Over 10 years ago, it was thought that the primary mechanism of action was HBOT’s influence on recoverable brain tissue (or the ‘penumbra area’ of the brain); in essence, WAKING UP THE BRAIN. It was also known that HBOT increases the formation of blood vessels to damaged tissue, so it was thought that a series of HBOT could repair the damage caused by a head injuries  by both helping ‘wake up’ damaged brain cells and ‘creating new permanent circulation’ to these damaged areas.

Now recent research is showing us another reason for the positive results seen with HBOT—Stem Cells. HBOT causes the body to produce stem cells in the brain, aka new brain cells. This is a key to long term recovery for any brain injured patient. Not only does HBOT stimulate the formation of new brain tissue, it also helps in re-organizing the brain (neuroplasticity).

You see, after any brain injury, the brain is compromised and can have permanently damaged tissue.

However, the brain has the ability to re-organize itself, allowing other parts of the brain to take over the functioning of the damaged tissue. HBOT has shown to enhance this effect. This means that not only does HBOT affect recoverable brain tissue, but it also affects non-recoverable tissue—the perfect solution for any patient aiming to have a full recovery.