What do you think of Hyperbaric Chambers?

[divin'darren]

I've been hearing more and more about them, and have spoken to a few people with SCI that use them to help recovery.

Has anyone tried one or use one regularly? Have they been proven to help any aspect of SCI?

[lynnifer]

I've only heard use of them for wound care .. I'm anxious to start trying it once this infection clears (met a doc who says it can be paid for if she writes the script for it).

It can't hurt and can only be good for skin!

[wildwilly]

Check out this web site. I have seen two clients who have under went treatment in the CVAC and their wounds healed remarkable fast (they underwent treatments of 15-30 min, 3-5x/wk for 2/wks). Simple put, it is the opposite of hyperbaric. The device basically creates a hypoxic environment (low oxygen) and tricks your body into producing more red blood cells. More red blood cells mean more oxygen carrying capacity (Looks like a very nice way to dope your blood with out being traced, which would explain the testimonials from athletes). As I understand, the device takes you through pressurized altitude changes much like you would experience in an airplane (one that is out of control to some extent). The biggest problem/danger I see with the device would be complication to an acute pathologic condition that is still ischemic by nature. Maybe Dr Young could comment.

Wildwilly

http://www.cvacsystems.com/

[SCI-Nurse]

We only use HBO for treatment of osteomyelitis and wound infections that are anerobic (such as gas gangrene). I have seen no good studies that justify their use for other wounds, or for SCI in general. The treatment is very expensive, and not without risks. You would need a physician's order, and even then it is unlikely your insurance will pay without sufficient justification, and that may be hard to get.

(KLD)

[soimumireland]

www.hbomedtoday.com or www.hbot4u.com .

Brought Sean to this but we never managed to get to the magic session 40. I thought he did seem to get some feeling in the back of his leg but the real hardship is the time. You must try and keep the sessions as close together as possible and cannot let 3 days pass between sessions. The place is Dublin was very reasonable €100 for adult and €50 for a child. however it was the time which we found the hardest to commit to and I think it needs to be paired with some serious PT. There is a place is Austriala Hypermed which has a lokomat and hyperbaric. It is very expensive. I have a url and more info which I can dig out if you are interested.

[wheelchairTITAN]

I heard they have great "atmosphere"!

[JenJen]

I used one pre-SCI for a diving injury. I had a DCI. It was rather unpleasant --- claustophobic. I was in it for 15 hours. Don't know if you undergo treatment in the same manner for other therapies.

[Broknwing]

I don't have first hand experience and don't know the implications related to SCI, but would be interested...

HOWEVER, I do have a friend who's been bringing her daughter for HBO therapy for her vision(she's blind) and has seen improvements. She also no longer has seizures since having the HBO therapy...

I'd say that it's got SOME sort of theraputic effects...I'm not exactly sure how it works or why, I need to do a little more research myself, but I'd be interested in trying it out if it was an option for something for me...

[LucyLou]

prefer to send a private message

[swanbaby]

hyperbaric oxygen treatment

The National Institute of Health has a comprehensive site of research being conducted worldwide--just type the subject matter in the search box http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

[DONNA REYNOLDS]

Hello. Although I've been a member for a while, this is my first post.

There are a couple of things to clear up about these chambers. First, a CVAC is a hypobaric chamber, not hyper. It utilizes fresh air, temperature changes, and altitude to condition the body. My family has recently opened a CVAC center here in Knoxville, TN and I've been taking treatments for about 2 weeks now. I have an incomplete SCI at C7 which causes severe spasticity all around my torso, between my shoulder blades and down both legs, esp. the right. My right forearm is numb, along with ring and pinkie fingers on both hands. Loads of pain from the injury down, esp. in the lower back. I also have balance issues and leg weakness.

The CVAC astonished me the very first 15 minute session I took. The next day, I took a 40 minute session and had virtually no pain for almost 3 days. My balance improved, which improved my gait. I slept wonderfully, my mood was elevated and my brain felt less foggy. I was able to cut my meds in half within days.

Yes, you do have to go often and it's not cheap. I'm fortunate enough to 'work' there, giving sessions in exchange for my own.

My question is this: will these extreme altitude changes in any way disturb the hardware in my neck? I have a plate/4 screws in the front, and a plate/6 screws and 2 rods, in the back. My discectomy/laminectomy was at C5-C7.

Thank you in advance and thank you all for creating and contributing to such a fantastic forum. Although I've not spoken with you all, I'm here and thankful for all the wonderful information I've gleaned from your posts. I wish you all many smiles, and much laughter.
Donna

[DONNA REYNOLDS]

Somehow, I missed seeing this. Thank you for posting this.