|
1. No significant improvement in recovery from
exercise-induced muscle injury with HBOT |
Citation/s:
1. Harrison BC, Robinson D, Davison BJ, Foley B, Seda E, Byrnes WC. Treatment of
exercise-induced muscle injury via hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Medicine and
Science in Sports and Exercise 2001; 33(1):36-42.
Lead author's name and fax: Harrison BC bcharrison@earthlink.net
Three-part Clinical Question: For patients with exercise-induced
muscle injury, does the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy result in a
reduction in pain or an increase in the rate of recovery?
Search Terms: Athletic injury, exercise, muscle injury
The Study:
Single-blinded randomised controlled trial without intention-to-treat.
The Study Patients: Healthy young male volunteers. Subjects who trained
regularly were excluded. All subjects underwent a standard non-dominant arm
exercise designed to produce injury.
Control group (N = 7; 5 analysed): No specific therapy.
Experimental group (N = 14; 13 analysed): 100% oxygen at 2.5ATA for 100
minutes. Two active groups - immediate and delayed HBOT. Sham treatments on air
at minimal pressure maintained blinding between groups. Immediate group had
treatments immediately post-injury and 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours; delayed HBOT
group had immediate sham, followed by the same schedule.
The evidence:
|
Outcome |
Control
Group |
HBOT
Groups |
Difference |
95% CI |
||
|
Mean |
SD |
Mean |
SD |
|||
|
Forearm cross-sectional area day 2 (% baseline) |
11.0 |
15.7 |
26.7 |
29.1 |
15.7 |
45.147 to -13.747 |
|
Isometric strength day 2 (% baseline) |
49.7 |
12.3 |
65.7 |
31.4 |
-16.0 |
-47.103 to 15.103 |
Comments:
1. Personal communication with author confirms random allocation and partial
blinding (between HBO groups but not including controls).
2. Paper also reports no significant effect of HBOT for muscle relaxation times,
serum creatine phosphate or pain.