Mekjavik
Hyperbaric oxygenation did not improve muscle soreness or rate of recovery of muscle strength following exercise.
Clinical Bottom Line: 1. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy did not enhance recovery following exercise-induced loss of muscle strength. 2. Similarly, HBOT did not improve muscle soreness following eccentric exercise.
Appraised by: Mike Bennett, Dept. of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital Sydney; Monday, 16 November, 1998
Clinical Scenario: A young adult athlete complaining of muscle soreness following exercise. Three-part Question: In athletes, following eccentric exercise, does the application of hyperbaric oxygenation compared to normal air breathing, result in a more rapid recovery of muscle function and soreness? Search Terms: hyperbaric oxygenation, muscle injury.
The Study: Double-blinded concealed randomised controlled trial with intention-to-treat. Young adults with no known acute or chronic disorders. Control group (N =12; 12 analysed): Standard exercise protocol followed by 10 sessions in a sham hyperbaric treatment (2.5 ATA, 8%O2 for 60 mins), once daily. Experimental group (N =12 ; 12 analysed): As above, but hyperbaric oxygenation for 60 minutes daily at 2.5 ATA.
The Evidence:
| Non-event outcomes | Time to outcome | Air group | HBO group | P-value |
| Recovery of muscle strength | 10 days | 61% | 62% | NS |
| Muscle soreness score | 3 days | 6.9 | 5.6 | NS |
Comments: 1. Well conducted study. 2. No significance values, confidence intervals or power quoted.
Expiry date: March 2021
References: 1. Mekjavic IB, Exner J, Tesch PA, Eiken O. Recovery of exercise-induced loss of muscle strength and muscle soreness is unaffected by HBO therapy. In: Proceedings of the International Joint Meeting on Hyperbaric and Underwater Medicine, Marroni A, Oriani G, Wattel F eds. Grafica Victoria, Bologna 1996; 557-560. 2. Mekjavic IB, Exner J, Tesch PA, Eiken O. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not affect recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2000; 32:558-563.
