It’s no secret that modern medicine comes with complex approaches, a dizzying array of terms, and technology that leaves you more confused than ever.
But sometimes the therapies are easier to understand than you might imagine, like hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Its name may seem complicated, but this innovative treatment uses oxygen to help you heal.
Our team at Wound Evolution - Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine understands the complex nature of healing and the vital part oxygen plays in life. That’s why we offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help support the healing process on a cellular level.
But don’t let the name worry you. It’s noninvasive, painless, and can help you avoid more invasive wound care treatments — thanks to pure oxygen.
The power of oxygen
We know what you’re thinking: How can oxygen help with wound care, especially complex problems like diabetic wounds, venous leg ulcers, or other slow-healing or chronic lesions? Believe it or not, the answer is quite simple, and it all comes down to oxygen.
Every cell in your system needs oxygen to survive and thrive, including those making up soft tissues like your skin. Each time you breathe, you inhale oxygen, and it moves throughout your body via your bloodstream.
This gas allows your cells to make the energy they need to perform vital functions, like powering your muscles, including your heart. Oxygen also moves materials in and out of your cells, which helps protect you from harmful bacteria and stimulates the healing process.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy leverages the power oxygen has to fight infection and heal your body, and all you have to do is breathe.
How hyperbaric oxygen therapy works
An average person breathes approximately 10 times a minute, and you don’t even need to think about it. That may seem like a lot of oxygen, but the air you breathe only contains about 21% oxygen.
During a hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment, you sit in a pressurized room and inhale 100% pure oxygen for approximately two hours.
These precise conditions allow your lungs to gather more oxygen than possible in normal settings, flooding your entire system with the healing benefits of this gas.
Using oxygen in this way provides results for numerous conditions, including:
- Diabetic wounds and ulcers
- Non-healing surgical wounds
- Chronic wounds
- Bone infections
- Venous and arterial ulcers
- Burns
- Gangrene
- Bioengineered skin grafts at risk of tissue death
The best part? Since hyperbaric oxygen therapy relies on oxygen, it comes with few if any side effects.
In most cases, you only notice a feeling of fullness in your ears during treatment. You can easily relieve the fullness by swallowing or yawning. Afterward, you may feel slightly hungry or tired, but you can resume normal activity immediately.
Are you ready to see how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help with your wound care? Contact the Wound Evolution nearest you to schedule an appointment by calling or booking online today. Our locations are in Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as Overland Park, Kansas.
