Easing Chronic CPRS Pain with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has provided relief to many CPRS sufferers, sometimes in combination with other treatments, such as medication and physical therapy. I have practiced neurology for over 25 years, and stumbled upon HBOT accidentally while searching for new ways to help a family member who had suffered a stroke. Believe me, I was as surprised and skeptical as you might be today that high levels of oxygen at sea level pressures could help someone get over stroke symptoms. Still, I felt the research merited further investigation. I’m so glad I persisted. After seeing HBOT’s results for my family member and so many others since then, you could say I am very passionate about the therapy’s healing potential for many conditions. In fact, some CPRS patients at our Palm Harbor, Florida clinic feel their symptoms easing within just a few HBOT sessions.

What Relief Does HBOT Offer the CPRS Patient?

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), is a chronic condition for which no cure currently exists. As well as severe pain, the neurological disorder causes profuse sweating, tissue swelling, skin discoloration, weakened muscles and extreme sensitivity to light and touch. The condition is hard to diagnose accurately, so doctors often only prescribe medications to ease the pain and subsequent depression. A few CPRS patients will find relief with pain meds, but the vast majority continually struggle to cope. With Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to break the pain cycle without narcotics or needles. The therapy is safe, cost-effective, and painless. During HBOT sessions, patients breathe in pure oxygen at higher than normal air pressures. Supersaturated O2 circulates through the bloodstream where it can deliver vital nutrients to areas of the body that normal breathing could never reach. HBOT helps to decrease swelling and encourage healing. Our patients’ muscle tone improves and they frequently get their first good night’s sleep in years. They report their depression leaves them, they think more clearly, and are often able to resume employment and the activities that bring their lives pleasure.

If you would like to learn more about how HBOT helps to heal CPRS, Dr. Spiegel would like to offer you a personalized assessment to see how well you may respond to treatment in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. You are always welcome to call our office directly at 727-787-7077.