The Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Reduction of Edema and Pain in Athletes With Ankle Sprain in the Acute Phase: A Pilot Study.
Injured athletes have a strong desire for rapid recovery from their injuries and therefore, multidisciplinary treatments are necessary to improve the healing process and to achieve an earlier
return to training and competition. The goal is to establish safe procedures with low risk.
Soft tissue injuries in the acute phase are presented with localized edema and swelling, which is produced by plasma leakage from damaged blood vessels. Edema increases tissue pressure, decreases local perfusion, impairs micro-circulation, and causes hypoxia in the injured tissue. Ankle sprains are frequent soft tissue injuries that occur during sports activities.
However, only Borromeo et al2 have reported clinical research data providing quantitative
analysis of HBO2 therapy on ankle sprains. Their randomized control trial reported that joint function scores were more favorable in the HBO2 group, though no significant differences were
observed in ankle volume or the subjective evaluation of pain. However, detailed descriptions of the effects of HBO2 therapy was missing, especially on the short-term effects of HBO2 therapy in the acute phase.
The objectives of this study were to investigate the short-term effects of HBO2 therapy on edema and to provide subjective evaluations of athletes with ankle sprains in the acute phase. We performed a before-after analysis of patients who visited our clinic between the years of 2007 to 2015 with an acute ankle sprain sustained during sports activities within 7 days after the injury.
Sport Exerc Med Open J. 2017; 3(1): 10-16. doi: 10.17140/SEMOJ-3-141
