Academic Journal

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Enhancing Athletic Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Bibliographic Details
Title: Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Enhancing Athletic Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Authors: Babel, Shrinit, Bosco, Gerardo, Camporesi, Enrico
Source: Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine; 2026 2nd Quarter, Vol. 53 Issue 2, p305-318, 14p
Subject Terms: Hyperbaric oxygenation, Blood lactate, Cooldown, Sports medicine, Athletic ability, Anaerobic threshold, Evidence synthesis
Abstract: Introduction: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2) uses increased atmospheric pressure and fractional oxygen to enhance tissue oxygen delivery. HBO2 has gained attention as a tool for athletic recovery and performance, but past reviews in the literature are limited or inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to provide an update and assess the effect of HBO2 on athletic recovery. Methods: Literature searches were performed across PubMed, Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, and Embase (January 1, 2015-September 15, 2024), following PRISMA guidelines. Studies included healthy athletes undergoing HBO2 to assess athletic performance, metabolic recovery, and physiological responses. Quality assessment was performed using Cochrane's risk of bias tools (ROB2 and ROBINS-1). A meta-analysis with subgroup analyses by age, body mass index, and body fat mass percentage was conducted, along with a meta-regression examining HBO2 protocol characteristics and outcomes. Results: Eleven met the eligibility criteria; six studies were included in the meta-analysis. The metaanalysis showed that HBO2 significantly reduced post-recovery blood lactate levels (effect size: -1.71; 95% CI: -3.10 to -0.32). Subgroup analysis revealed that younger athletes and those with lower fat mass receiving HBO2 exhibited significant reductions in post-recovery lactate levels. Meta-regression was inconclusive but suggested treatment effect heterogeneity based on HBO2 protocol characteristics. HBO2 showed limited application in short-term power output and force production. Discussion: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is an efficient method for improving athletic performance, particularly by reducing post-exercise lactate levels, thereby supporting faster metabolic recovery. Future studies should focus on standardized protocols, diverse populations, and long-term outcomes to better understand HBO2's potential in orthopedics and sports medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine is the property of Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Complementary Index
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DbLabel: Complementary Index
An: 194931802
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  Data: Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Enhancing Athletic Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Babel%2C+Shrinit%22">Babel, Shrinit</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bosco%2C+Gerardo%22">Bosco, Gerardo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Camporesi%2C+Enrico%22">Camporesi, Enrico</searchLink>
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  Data: Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine; 2026 2nd Quarter, Vol. 53 Issue 2, p305-318, 14p
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hyperbaric+oxygenation%22">Hyperbaric oxygenation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Blood+lactate%22">Blood lactate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooldown%22">Cooldown</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sports+medicine%22">Sports medicine</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Athletic+ability%22">Athletic ability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anaerobic+threshold%22">Anaerobic threshold</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Evidence+synthesis%22">Evidence synthesis</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Introduction: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2) uses increased atmospheric pressure and fractional oxygen to enhance tissue oxygen delivery. HBO2 has gained attention as a tool for athletic recovery and performance, but past reviews in the literature are limited or inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to provide an update and assess the effect of HBO2 on athletic recovery. Methods: Literature searches were performed across PubMed, Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, and Embase (January 1, 2015-September 15, 2024), following PRISMA guidelines. Studies included healthy athletes undergoing HBO2 to assess athletic performance, metabolic recovery, and physiological responses. Quality assessment was performed using Cochrane's risk of bias tools (ROB2 and ROBINS-1). A meta-analysis with subgroup analyses by age, body mass index, and body fat mass percentage was conducted, along with a meta-regression examining HBO2 protocol characteristics and outcomes. Results: Eleven met the eligibility criteria; six studies were included in the meta-analysis. The metaanalysis showed that HBO2 significantly reduced post-recovery blood lactate levels (effect size: -1.71; 95% CI: -3.10 to -0.32). Subgroup analysis revealed that younger athletes and those with lower fat mass receiving HBO2 exhibited significant reductions in post-recovery lactate levels. Meta-regression was inconclusive but suggested treatment effect heterogeneity based on HBO2 protocol characteristics. HBO2 showed limited application in short-term power output and force production. Discussion: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is an efficient method for improving athletic performance, particularly by reducing post-exercise lactate levels, thereby supporting faster metabolic recovery. Future studies should focus on standardized protocols, diverse populations, and long-term outcomes to better understand HBO2's potential in orthopedics and sports medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: Abstract
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine is the property of Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        StartPage: 305
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Blood lactate
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      – SubjectFull: Cooldown
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sports medicine
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      – SubjectFull: Athletic ability
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      – SubjectFull: Anaerobic threshold
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      – SubjectFull: Evidence synthesis
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      – TitleFull: Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Enhancing Athletic Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
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            – D: 01
              M: 04
              Text: 2026 2nd Quarter
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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