Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Recovery from Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury
By Dr. Michele R. Reillo
Concussion refers to an injury to the head which causes trauma to the brain. Concussion affects over 5 million athletes in the United States every year and equally as many people who experience automobile accidents and falls.
It is a fallacy that people experience loss of consciousness with a concussion: many people maintain consciousness but experience dizziness, headache, changes in mood, depression, and nausea. However, impacts to the head which routinely occur in such sports as basketball, football, soccer, and hockey initiate a progressive inflammatory process that is linked to the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease which leads to dementia and behavioral problems.
CTE was reported in 99% of football players on autopsy. This fact directly links post-concussion with the development of this debilitating disease. Any impact to the brain affects biochemical and neurological function.
In the 1970's Dr. Richard Neubauer first identified the benefit of using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to reverse the inflammation and cell damage caused by head injury. On MRI scan, the positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy were clearly revealed. Today, hyperbaric is the treatment for post-concussion syndrome and CTE. Professional and amateur athletes alike are being treated for CTE later in life, after the long-term neurologic damage is experienced. CTE causes dementia, rage, depression, and motor coordination and breathing disorders.
The key is to identify and treat all head injuries immediately to stop the inflammatory process which leads to the development of CTE. The Neubauer Hyperbaric Neurologic Center offers post-concussion assessment and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for anyone who has experienced a head injury. This includes young athletes, professional athletes, people who have experienced falls or automobile accidents. Dr. Neubauer pioneered the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of head injury and the professional staff of the center is well versed in identifying problems associated with head injury and in the administration of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for head injury.
All school athletes should receive a baseline assessment at the center which will allow the doctors to identify if there has been injury to the brain. A concussion may occur with minimal impact to the skull and immediate care with hyperbaric oxygen therapy stops the inflammatory process caused by the impact. Concussion and brain injury are serious matters. The genius of Dr. Neubauer is continued by the Neubauer Hyperbaric Neurologic Center and I encourage all parents and grandparents to monitor their family members who are at risk for concussive injury.
The brain can be healed with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.