Hyperbaric Chamber & Acupuncture Therapy

[Martin]

Hi,I,am considering treatment at www.spinalrehab.com.au (http://www.spinalrehab.com.au) if anyone has had any experiences or views on this combination of therapy please post them.The chamber work apparently reduces compression,scaring & pain.It also increases circulation & removal of viruses at the injury site,therfore reducing the likelyhood of cysts forming & maximising the oppertunities when following up with acupuncture stimulation.It sounds like a good non invasive approach at this point in time? regards Martin

[Wise Young]

Martin, I am assuming that you have spinal cord injury. In the 1970's, at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, they had used hyperbaric oxygen to treat a series of patients shortly after injury and reported some improvement in the patients. There have been many studies in both animals and humans. I am not sure that any of the evidence from clinical studies is convincing, at least for chronic spinal cord injury. There is rational for use of hyperbaric oxygen for conditions where there may be ischemia of the spinal cord, i.e. due to compression or other conditions that cause a reduction in blood flow. I don't think that it will be harmful.

Wise.c

[Birde]

Martin I found this at another forum, hope it helpful! It was posted 01-07-2001.
Q. Does any out there have any success stories or experience with HBOT(Hyperbaric oxygen therapy) and a spinal cord injury? Any information would be helpful. Wendy


A. From: "Arturo Martinez" <armarlife@hotmail.com> Hi Wendy;

I saw your question on hbot.tv list, these are my two cents about it.

Over a period of tweve years I had been working with HBO, I have had only three cases SPI, two with gun shoot and the other a crush accident.

The first one was about 10 years ago, with a white male, 45 y.o. who had been shoot four years before on the lower part of his back. The bullet still was ( and still is ) on his spine. He was wheel chair riden for almost four years, but with P.T. he had recovered a lot. He used to walk with great difficulty using a cane. He also had to use an orthopaedic prosthesis to hold his right foot that fell loose. He also had a very cold feeling on his leg, and had to use a couple of long wool socks and two pair of pants to keep it warm.

After a couple of weeks of starting HBO, once a day, he lost that sence of coolness on his leg, and recovered the movement and control of his foot. He could dispose of his prosthesis.

We performed him about fourty five HBO session on a three month period, at a pressure of 1,5 ATA. He recovered completely, his balance and ability to walk normally and without a cane up to date.

The rationale I used to do this HBO procedure, was a study I read presented at the 5th HBO International Seminar held at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada in 1973, by W.Y. Yu and S.S. Shim, ' THE EFFECT OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN ON NERVE REGENERATION, an Experimental Study in the Femoral Nerve of Rabbit ", p473-478, Symphosium Proceedings, from Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.

The second case I had was five years ago, a young black boy of 9 , with a gun shot at his mid back. He was completely bed ridden, he could not move, not sit or walk, he did not have sphinter control on bowel and blader. He had mnovement only on his arms. We start giving him HBO and he took about forty five (45) sesions at 1,5 ATA, on a three month period. He was sitting on the bed by imself, got sphinter control again, and was moving around on a wheel chair, and started going to school again. They had to quit treatment because the family moved to another place outside town.

The other case was a 19 y.o white girl, who had a car accident and fell out of it and the car roll over her crushing three vertebra at her mid back. The accident had been three years before she started takikng the HBO treatment. She was bed ridden, moving only her arms, not feeling at all on her legs, no sphincter control on bowel and blader, not movement at all on her legs. Crying all the time and telling every body she wanted to die.

After some twelve HBO sesions at 1,5 ATA, she start recovering some feeling on her legs and bowel and blader control. That changed her way of thinking, on a very positive way, stop crying, and daid: " I know I will walk again even with crutches " . And she did it. She took about 65 HBO sessions and went back home to study.

Those are my experiences on this. I hope it will help your purposes.

Arturo Martinez-Restrepo, MH CAMARAS HIPERBARICAS VIDA 2000 Colombia, South America E-mail: < armarlife@hotmail.com

[Martin]

Thanks Dr,Young & Birdie for your replies.I start treatment Monday & yes I,am SCI c-4 complete 3 years post,hopefully I get some benefits.Atleast it,s another positive part of my therapy, while we wait for further treatment.regards Martin