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Cerebral Palsy & Hyperbarics

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy sessions last 60 minutes. Schedule Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy daily for the number of sessions recommended by your physician and/or based on the purchased package. Consider a baseline Hyperbaric Brain Map or QEEG before starting Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to evaluate concerns and observe benefit overtime.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) affects 1 in 303 children in the U.S. CP is caused by abnormal development of the brain or injury to the developing brain before, during or after birth that affects a child’s ability to control his or her muscles. This diminished ability to move and maintain balance can result in reduced gross as well as fine motor skills, spasticity issues, difficulty speaking and impaired vision. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown, in some studies, to benefit the effects of CP. Many forms of Cerebral Palsy result from a lack of oxygen to the brain. The affected brain tissue can be recovered or improved by introducing increased levels of oxygen. HBOT has been shown to be a promising treatment with multiple studies reporting improvements with its application. Studies have demonstrated the benefits of HBOT for CP with the following:

Enhance Neurological Repair & Regeneration
  • Reduces the Effects of Low Oxygen on the Neonatal Brain
  • Promotes Healing of Tissues
  • Moderates Mitochondrial Disorders
  • Escalates Neuroplasticity
Cerebral Palsy & Hyperbarics Improve Overall Function
  • Advances Cognitive Function
  • Improves Gross/Fine Motor Skills
  • Enhances Speech & Fine Language
  • Alleviates Spasticity
  • Lessens Frequency of Seizures
  • Stimulates Better Eye Contact
  • Improves Balance & Walking

Study: Motor Function Improved with HBOT

In 2014, a controlled longitudinal study was published and assessed the effects of intensive rehabilitation combined with HBOT on gross and fine motor function in 150 children with cerebral palsy. This eight-month study involved every child receiving standard rehabilitation, with three groups also including HBOT into their regimen. The control group consisted of children who did not undergo hyperbaric treatments and participated in standard rehabilitation only. All HBOT groups received 40 one hour sessions six days a week. The first HBOT group was treated at 1.3 atmospheres absolute (ATA) with compressed air. The second HBOT group was treated at 1.5 ATA with 100 percent oxygen delivered through a hood system and the third HBOT group was treated at 1.75 ATA, also with 100 percent oxygen delivered through a hood system. After the eight month follow up, all four groups improved. However, the HBOT groups’ gross and fine motor function variations were on average three times higher than the control. The study concluded that there was no significant statistical difference between the improvements observed within the three HBOT groups.

REFERENCES

  1. Arun Mukherhee, MaximeRaison, Tarun Sahni, Anand Arya, JeanLambert, Pierre Marois, Philip B. James, Audrey Parent, Laurent Ballaz.Intensive rehabilitation combined with HBO2 therapy in children with cerebral palsy:A controlled longitudinal study. UHM 2014, Vol. 41, No. 2

These statements have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. All of the statements made on this document are not anecdotal and have been taken directly from clinical data.