Curious about hyperbaric oxygen therapy? Here’s what you can expect during a typical session at our Council Bluffs clinic.
You’ll lay in our HBOT chamber while breathing in pressurized oxygen — up to 3x the amount in the everyday environment. This helps pump oxygen to your body’s tissues, promoting healing, reducing inflammation and supporting overall wellness.
Once inside the chamber, you’ll hear air beginning to circulate. There are two windows at the top of the chamber — one on each end — where you’ll be able to see and talk to us. And we’ll communicate with you the whole time so you know what to expect.
As the chamber fills with air, you may experience a full sensation in your ears, similar to changing altitudes in an airplane or driving up a mountain. Once the chamber reaches its prescribed pressure, the fullness in your ears should subside.
You can take items inside the chamber with you, so you can listen to music or your favorite podcast, catch up on some reading, or just use the time to relax.
Near the end of your session, we’ll gradually decrease the pressure. This is the decompression phase, which usually lasts about 5-10 minutes. During decompression, you may experience an automatic “popping” sensation in your ears as a result of the decreasing pressure — again, just like you’d feel on an airplane.
After that, you’re free to go about your day or stick around for an adjustment. Either way, you’ll continue reaping benefits from the chamber long after your session ends. (But depending on your situation, you may want or need a few more.)
Whether you’re recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition or simply looking to optimize your health, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is where it’s at!
In particular, it can help provide relief fo:
- Anemia
- Brain abscesses
- Bubbles of air in blood vessels (arterial gas embolism)
- Burns
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Crushing injuries
- Deafness
- Decompression sickness
- Gangrene
- Infections
- Lung issues
- Nonhealing wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers
- Radiation injuries and skin grafts
- Sports injuries, including medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
Contact us to learn more or use our online scheduling tool to book a session. (New patients get $25 their first one! Available in Council Bluffs only.)