Head injuries in sport: This oxygen treatment is being trialled and is now available in Retford

Head injury fears from contact sports: Could this treatment make a difference?

One top player, former England rugby captain Dylan Hartley, has recently spoken out in public about fears of brain injury and early dementia and about hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

It was reported in the Daily Mail that the Kiwi-born 36-year-old, whose international career ended in 2018, had signed up for a three-month course of oxygen therapy.

The news came as no surprise to the owner of Oxify, a hyperbaric oxygen therapy centre in Retford, who said the therapy was used by people with dementia and head injuries.

Early dementia from contact sports: Could this treatment make a difference?

The therapy could help to slow down the progression of dementia and allow someone to retain their independence for longer.”

People use the treatment to get relief for a variety of ailments from migraines to the effects of long covid; from arthritis pain to depression. But how does it work?

What is oxygen therapy?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) delivers oxygen in much higher concentrations than we normally breathe in (98 per cent rather than 21 per cent) via an oxygen mask as the client lies in a chamber, in which the air pressure is slowly increased by a trained member of the Oxify team. The treatment lasts about an hour.

The idea is that more oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream, pumped round the body and into vital organs and muscles – including the brain.

Studies have shown that the extra oxygen has been found to stimulate and restore damaged cells and organs and to encourage new collagen (connective tissue) to form by encouraging new blood vessel formation. It has long been used as a treatment for decompression sickness – also known as the bends – which is a risk in scuba diving.

It has also been used to treat people for wounds, carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene and infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen.

Sarah explained: “The therapy can help get oxygen to the site of inflammation or injury – parts that have been starved of oxygen.”

Now available at Retford

Here in Retford there is a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy centre which is open to treat a variety of issues including head injuries, dementia, sports injuries, tissue recovery, helping skin rejuvenation, stress relief, chronic fatigue, asthma and long covid symptoms.

You can book a session at Ground Floor, Randall Business Centre, Randall Park Way, Retford DN22 7WF by calling 01777 861462 or email [email protected]

For more information see www.oxify.co.uk or book online here