Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is gradually getting recognition as a viable treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Many patents of traumatic brain injury have reported that they have experienced improvements after taking Hyperbaric Therapy TBI.
Traumatic brain injury refers to damage caused to the brain through any external force, inclusive of closed head injuries (CHIs) and wounds penetrating the skull. The brain quite easily gets injured by any direct impact, whether it's a blunt or sharp force, or by sudden head acceleration.
In America, about 1.7 million people suffer from TBI a year, and about half a million get hospitalized. Most of these cases (75%) are concussions or mild head injuries. For children and infants, who have developing brains that are fragile, head injury is a major cause behind death and disability. Even minor injuries in the brain in youth may lead to dementia later in life. Improved safety equipment and treatments have resulted in less number of deaths from TBI, but more number of disabilities recently. A number of survivors face lifelong behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and physical problems and significant rehabilitation challenges.
Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury with HBOT:
Patients get one or two daily sessions of hyperbaric therapy TBI, based on their available time. In case of brain injury, at least 40–80 sessions are required of 1 or 2 hours each, and often, more sessions are needed. Hyperbaric treatment is cumulative, with greater improvement happening with more number of sessions.
How HBOT works:
Bruce Gottlieb, MD and medical director of a hyperbaric therapy providing institution, says that oxygen is used by the brain at a “ferocious rate”. The brain can become starved easily. In case of occurrence of a trauma, often the brain swells, and so enough oxygen does not reach the injured tissue. So, the region needing the most amount of oxygen receives the least, states Gottlieb. Hyperbaric therapy TBI drives oxygen to cerebrospinal fluid that carries the oxygen to brain and allows healing.
Brain injury's another damaging result is inflammation, which acts similar to a fire with destructive power. However, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has the potential to put out this fire by driving 100% oxygen to injured regions. Gradually, the regions heal.
Gottlieb outlines that HBOT has no ill effects or side effects, however, some individuals experience a heightened pressure in their ear, quite similar to what one experiences in a plane. Although the treatment has no side effects, however, some people should avoid undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, including individuals with extreme inner ear pain, uncontrolled seizure activity, or individuals having severe lung disease like emphysema. HBOT treatment can be quite relaxing as the individual taking treatment can lie down and pipe in music.
There are several HBOT success stories showing that some patients of traumatic brain injury have tried HBOT and experienced significant improvements in their condition.
Clinical studies and research on hyperbaric therapy TBI will continue in the near future. Insurance usually doesn't cover HBOT and the FDA hasn't given its approval to the therapy for TBI. However, many people affected by brain injury as well as their families have the hope that HBOT will someday become a proven therapy and will also be covered by insurance.
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