Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy’s Impact on Stroke Treatment
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy’s Impact on Stroke Treatment
Last Update: December 5, 2024
You deserve to achieve your goals and live a happy and fulfilling life. But when a stroke happens and your life changes, your plans do too… the road to post-stroke recovery can feel impossibly hard.
Rest assured that all is not lost. The Brain & Performance Centre, a DP World company, uses advanced tools and therapies for stroke rehabilitation and research-backed processes that unlock your mind and body’s natural self-healing mechanisms.
Learn all about The Brain & Performance Centre which includes hyperbaric oxygen therapy for stroke patients, so you can regain physical vibrancy and emotional well-being.
“There’s a growing body of medical research that shows hyperbaric medicine can help with the rehabilitation of people suffering from stroke.” – Dr. Semer Wang, Medical Director of The Brain & Performance Centre.
What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
In hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), patients breathe 100% pure medical-grade oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Paired with oxygen fluctuations, this process boosts oxygen levels in the body up to 10 times higher than normal and helps unlock the body’s self-healing capabilities.
Who Can Try HBOT for Stroke Relief?
Don’t let the idea that the brain has a limited window for improvement stop you from getting the help you need. Stroke survivors at any stage in their recovery can seek treatment with HBOT and other complementary therapies.
While many HBOT studies were conducted on people who had their stroke incident within a three-year timeframe, Dr. Efrati has seen similar improvement in patients whose brain injuries occurred up to 20 years before.
Please understand that not everyone is a candidate for The Brain & Performance Centre. Our rigorous assessment process ensures we select the clients who can benefit from the programme. Speak with a Brain & Performance Centre team member to learn if you’re a candidate for our programme.
How Does The Brain & Performance Centre’s Unique HBOT Protocol for Stroke Work?
When a stroke occurs, some brain tissue dies while other tissue is damaged. HBOT can help trigger the body to self-repair the damaged brain tissue and improve cognitive function after a stroke.
As part of the The Brain & Performance Centre, we follow a unique, highly specialized HBOT protocol for stroke that differs from other types of oxygen therapy. We focus on providing a personalized care programme aligned with your needs and goals.
Here’s how our process works:
- The Brain & Performance Centre uses multiplace oxygen chambers—large treatment suites fitting up to 14 people—rather than small, confining, one-person HBOT chambers.
- Clients breathe 100% pure oxygen through a mask in a pressurized environment. This process increases the blood oxygen concentration to help deliver oxygen to the cells that need it.
- Patients follow a specific Brain & Performance Centre protocol where they breathe 100% oxygen with frequent breaks to breathe normal air, which the body then perceives as the trigger for self regeneration. This repeated fluctuation triggers the body into cell repair and regeneration mode.
Cindy Parsons Finds Hope 4 Years After Her Stroke Incident
For Cindy, simple capabilities like combing her hair, driving, and walking unassisted were suddenly stripped away by a stroke. She had been told not to expect more improvement after six months of recovery. Cindy sought the help of The Brain & Performance protocol, and during her assessment, brain scans indicated brain tissue could still be revived.
- 60 daily HBOT sessions
- Cognitive training
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- Strength training
- A specialized diet plan
Upon the conclusion of the treatment plan, Cindy can now drive herself, walk without a cane, and talk clearly—activities she thought she would never be able to do again.
Cindy’s post-treatment clinical results show numerous improvements in the following ways:
- Skeletal muscle mass increased.
- Muscular strength improved.
- Fall risk dropped.
- Gait speed and quality improved.
- Nonverbal memory increased.
- Information processing speed climbed.
- Motor planning improved.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Stroke Patients: Clear, Proven Research
Recent clinical studies at The Sagol Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research have evaluated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for stroke patients.
The centre’s studies show the powerful potential of HBOT as it:
- Triggers neuroplasticity—when healthy parts of the brain “rewire” to assist injured parts of the brain.
- Encourages neurogenesis—the creation of new nerve cells.
- Creates new blood vessels for higher blood flow and oxygenation of tissue.
- Increases neurocognitive abilities in post-stroke patients.
An Evidence-Based Treatment Protocol
Numerous studies continue to show the unique HBOT protocol—available only at The Brain & Performance Centre—makes significant stroke-recovery improvements in people even years after the stroke event.
Well let these research findings and case studies speak for themselves:
- “The results indicate that HBOT can lead to significant neurological improvements in post stroke patients even at chronic late stages.” –Dr. Shai Efrati, Founder and Director of The Sagol Centre
- “The results illustrate the potential of [HBOT] for improving memory impairments in post-stroke patients, even years after the acute event.” – Dr. Shai Efrati
How Can The Brain & Performance Centre Help with Stroke Relief?
Our programme is founded on Dr. Efrati’s research. Regaining functions and abilities more than six months post stroke requires working with a diverse medical team of physicians, nurses, and therapists. The Brain & Performance Centre maximizes the expertise of this comprehensive team to offer a high-quality programme that meets your needs.
The Brain & Performance Centre can combine the following elements in a customized programme to help treat the body and brain after a stroke:
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Cognitive training
- Physical training and therapy
- Dietary coaching
How It Works: A 3-Step Process
The Brain & Performance Centres’ approach entails a three-step process:
- In-depth Medical Assessment: Our assessment process identifies how much of your brain tissue died from the stroke and how much of it is merely injured—these are areas we want to focus on to help regain your capabilities. We use the most advanced brain imaging tests (e.g., MRI and SPECT) suited to your needs. The Brain & Performance Centre team also conducts physical, cognitive, and neurological tests to evaluate your function in these areas and establish a baseline.
- Tailored Programme: We use your results to develop a personalized therapy plan. This plan can include cognitive and physical training, dietary coaching, and HBOT sessions. A dedicated medical team will walk you through your therapy plan to maximize your body’s healing process.
- Post-assessment and Evaluation – Measurable Results: After your The Brain & Performance Centre treatments, you’ll receive a detailed report of your results, including any cognitive and physical changes. We repeat the tests from the initial assessment to measure your improvement and make recommendations for ongoing progress.
What Benefits Can Stroke Survivors Achieve with HBOT?
When combined with personalized cognitive, physical, and nutritional therapies, HBOT as a part of your stroke regimen may produce impressive outcomes, even years after a stroke, including the following results:
- Improved speech and ability to read/write
- Restored motor function, even with paresis
- Return to independence in performing many daily activities
Many of our clients report the most significant benefit is simply not being “a burden” on their loved ones.
Here’s how our programme can impact the brain, body, and cells even years after a stroke.
Benefits for your brain*:
- Rehabilitation of injured brain tissue, restoring some impacted functions
- Increased blood flow in the parts of the brain that may have reduced blood flow due to the stroke
- New stem cells and blood vessels in the brain (angiogenesis)
- Improved psychomotor function (the combination of precise motor responses and cognitive problem-solving abilities)
- Triggered neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to adapt/react in response to injury or disease) in injured parts of the brain
- Triggered neurogenesis (neuronal or nerve cell) regeneration that occurs in the brain.
- Improved overall quality of life
Benefits for your body*:
- Better physical performance: mobility, fitness, strength, coordination, balance, gait
- Improved NIHSS (neurological motor function score), ADL (activities of daily living score), and EQ-5D (quality of life score)
- Boosted power and stamina
- Reduced pain (strong anti-inflammatory effect)
- Improved sleep quality
Benefits for your cells*:
- Strengthened immune system
- Increase in stem cells (the building blocks of tissue rejuvenation) to multiply and migrate
- Quantitative and qualitative improvement in mitochondrial biogenesis (the power centre of the cell)
*Individual patient results may vary.
Speak with a member of The Brain & Performance Centre team member to learn if you’re a candidate for our programme.
Rehabilitation Options, Including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), for Stroke Patients
Strokes are “a leading cause of serious long-term disability”. Given that “87% of all strokes are ischemic” or caused by artery or vein blockage, it makes sense that most patients suffer long-term functional impairments.
These impairments can range from paralysis, speech difficulties, and sensory issues to a host of other cognitive dysfunctions. Additionally, many stroke patients have had a stroke before—“nearly 1 in 4” survivors have suffered at least one stroke previously.
Rest assured, multiple rehabilitation options are available for stroke patients, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). We dive into the key details below.
Remember that each person’s medical condition and background are entirely unique. Thus, speaking with a physician about treatment options is essential to getting back to optimal health.
What Are the 3 Common Stroke Relief Options?
Stroke relief generally entails working with a diverse medical team of physicians, nurses, and therapists. This support team may recommend one or more of the following options:
1. Speech therapy:
Stroke patients can experience speech challenges, ranging from slurred world to significant difficulties with oral communication or understanding people (aphasia). This is due to damage to the “left side of the brain that controls speech and language.” Cases like this often merit speech therapy.
Patients work with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to relearn techniques such as:
- Controlling mouth and throat muscles to speak more clearly and adequately swallow
- Participating in cognitive language exercises to restore communication and comprehension skills
Research illustrates early speech intervention with aphasia patients “had a massive increase in their ability to communicate at 12 and 26 weeks after their stroke.” Patients could speak better and exhibited less difficulty finding and using the right words.
2. Physical therapy:
A physical therapist (PT) engages patients in movement exercises to help them reacquire motor skills. PTs generally help stroke patients relearn activities such as walking, sitting, standing, and switching from one movement to another.
Medical experts believe consistent PT lowers “risks of hospital readmission within a month after discharge” because it helps patients:
- Restore movement and accomplish tasks
- Plan for the next step of post-acute care (e.g., patient rehab facility, skilled nursing facility, or home care assistance)
3. Occupational therapy:
Occupational therapists help patients carry out everyday activities. They aim to help stroke patients live as independently as they can. OTs work with post-stroke patients to assess how the stroke has affected their lifestyle.
For those who have difficulties dressing, cooking, or bathing, the OT will find solutions to help carry out these activities of daily living to the best of their ability. These statistics outline the importance of OT in the recovery process.
- One study of Medicare claims data found that “Rehabilitation services including physical therapy and occupational therapy play important roles in promoting functional recovery and preventing deconditioning during acute hospitalizations.” However, “Only 61% of patients with ischemic stroke received both physical therapy and occupational therapy services in the acute setting.”
One study notes that patients who participated in OT programmes focused on impairment and basic living activities “progressed to more advanced activities over time (e.g., less bed mobility, more home management).”
The Groundbreaking Therapeutic Approach of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
An up-and-coming therapy for long-term stroke recovery that has shown promise in clinical research is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).
HBOT has clear indications of brain-cell rehabilitation in patients suffering from post-stroke disabilities.
HBOT and its apparent benefits for post-stroke patients were studied and reviewed in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One:
- The participants were exposed to a unique protocol, including daily HBOT sessions over two months. All the patients showed improved neurological functioning, indicating “that HBOT can lead to significant neurological improvements in post stroke patients even at chronic late stages.”
- Noticeable recovery included “regained speech (almost fluent) and reading capabilities.” Even in patients with less dramatic results, everyday tasks like bathing and dressing became possible unaided by the end of the treatment period.
- Patients were further assessed using brain metabolism imaging (SPECT scans) to examine brain activity during the HBOT treatment. “The SPECT after HBOT demonstrated the disappearance of the perfusion lesions.”
- The study indicated a link between oxygen and stroke—“increasing the plasma oxygen concentration with hyperbaric oxygenation is a potent means of delivering to the brain sufficient oxygen for tissue repair.”
Not only did the study determine significant improvements in patients treated with HBOT, it crucially found that the progression occurred in patients even many months after the stroke event.
The study’s objective was to “evaluate the effects of HBOT started in the late-chronic phase after the acute stroke.” All the patients experienced strokes between six and 36 months prior to the HBOT treatment.
The Brain & Performance Centre: The Road to a Better Life
Backed by over a decade of research, The Brain & Performance Centre can include HBOT, along with cognitive training, dietary coaching, and physical performance training to help you recover even long after a stroke.
The programme aims to offer patients a customized, coordinated, and multidisciplinary health plan to address their specific goals. As the aging process affects every person differently, each plan is individualized based on a patient’s post-stroke recovery needs.
Here’s how our process works:
- Assessment: Our dedicated team will conduct a thorough assessment to gain a holistic understanding of your health and craft a personalized health plan.
- Treatment: Under the supervision of our medical staff, the treatment plan will entail a variety of health programmes that are meant to get you on the road to recovery.
- Analysis: We will track data on how your treatment plan is progressing and make the necessary adjustments along the way.
- Follow-up: Upon conclusion of the treatment, our team will continue to follow up on your progress via a wearable device. This will allow us to send you reports on your health and performance.
Watch Hussain’s Inspiring Recovery Story:
A true inspiration and a shining example of strength and determination. After experiencing a stroke, he embarked on his recovery journey at the Brain & Performance Centre, embracing every challenge with remarkable courage.
Is The Brain & Performance Centre Right for You?
If you’ve been experiencing cognitive or physical challenges since your stroke, The Brain & Performance Centre may be able to help. We have treated thousands of patients suffering from various conditions, enhancing their quality of life.
We encourage you to speak with one of our licensed medical staff to see if it’s right for you, as each person’s body, medical history, and circumstances differ. Our staff will take the time to understand your health history, symptoms, and goals. This process will help us determine whether The Brain & Performance Centre protocol is a good fit.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
Improving physical and cognitive performance does not happen overnight. The Brain & Performance Centre requires time and careful compliance to achieve success.
HBOT sessions take approximately two hours daily, five days a week, for 8-12 weeks. However, this timeline may vary across patients. Our clients see members of The Brain & Performance Centre healthcare team for additional therapies or coaching (e.g., cognitive training, dietary coaching, and physical performance training) multiple times each week.
Learn More about Post-Stroke Recovery
If you need help finding a stroke recovery plan, contact The Brain & Performance Centre. Our diverse team of medical professionals is experienced in crafting customized treatment plans that have brought significant and fulfilling results for our patients. Improving your quality of life begins here.