Once a week players from Louisville City FC visit a hyperbaric oxygen therapy clinic to not only heal their bodies, but their minds as well.
OxyBaric set up shop in downtown Louisville two years ago by Lynn Greene. Since then she has seen the benefits these chambers give not only athletes, but everyday people as well.
The boys in purple started their hyperbaric oxygen therapy when they had trouble sleeping on bus rides for their away games. After getting their treatment they were able to “sleep like logs”. OxyBaric treatments not only help with sleep, but for our players, it gives the more endurance on the field and helps repair any damage to their muscles.
“When my ankle was hurt I went into OxyBaric and felt full motion with it when I was in the chamber,” commented midfielder Kyle Smith. “Also, when I take a nap in the chamber it feels like I slept for four hours when I only slept for one.”
What exactly is OxyBaric and how does it work?
When getting into the chamber pods, the client receives 15 to 20 times more oxygen to their tissues. This helps their bodies metabolize oxygen. When the pod pressurizes, it makes the oxygen more soluble. The solubility allows the oxygen to be transported by the lymphatic fluids, cerebral spinal fluid and plasma, not just red blood cells.
“When you’re looking at an injury you have a large amount of lymph in the swelling. That’s what swelling is,” explains Lynn Greene. “When you get a ton of oxygen into the lymph fluid, suddenly you have healing happen at an exponential scale. Everyone’s body is different and that’s the hard part about it. That’s why I tell people it could take one or three treatments or more, but either way it will heal fast.”
There are certain sports that are recommended to use this therapy. Soccer is a major one considering how aerobic and taxing it is on the body. Greene also suggests any contact sport, especially football. One of the primary injuries that she see in her line of work are concussions. OxyBaric is also frequently used by professional weight trainers and MMA fighters.
“Our brain uses 30% of our oxygen that we breathe,” Greene comments. “So just image if we add 15-20 times the normal amount of breathing from getting into the chamber how much benefit you’ll give to your brain.”
This kind of therapy is not only beneficial for athletes. It can be used for people with Lymes Disease, Chronic Fatigue, high stress, people who can’t or have trouble meditating and much more.
“This is a great forced mediation,” explains Greene. “What happens when you get in there you end up breathing 10 liters of oxygen a minute. This tranquility comes over you and you’re forced to relax even if you don’t want to.”
Greene explained that OxyBaric is key role in general wellness. For instance, people tend to constantly tell themselves that they are not tired, when in reality they are exhausted. Using these pods can help the body recover and heal.
“The benefits for me is just great rest,” explained midfielder Oscar Jimenez. “I don’t really get great rest at home, so it’s nice to take a nap in there. It makes me feel like I’m getting extra rest.”
OxyBaric has been a huge factor in LouCity’s recovery in-between their busy game schedule and continues to be as they make strides in the USL Cup Playoffs. But it’s not only for the professional soccer team of Louisville.
