Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Curious about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Dr. Behlmann shares what you need to know.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

At TenMed Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine, our Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) sessions are designed to support your body’s natural healing process. During treatment, you will relax in a comfortable, pressurized chamber while breathing 100% oxygen. This increases oxygen levels in your blood, helping to promote tissue repair, fight infection, and accelerate wound healing. Each session typically lasts about 90 minutes and is monitored by our experienced clinical team to ensure your safety and comfort. HBOT is a non-invasive, painless therapy often used for chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, radiation injuries, and more.

Conditions Treated

Diabetic wounds

Chronic bone infection

Vascular disease

Skin Flaps/Grafts

Radiation tissue damage

ORN

Radiation soft tissue necrosis

Radiation cystitis / proctitis

Crush Injuries

Hemorrhagic Cystitis

Other

Typical Session

At TenMed Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a safe, non-invasive treatment used to enhance healing for chronic wounds and other medical conditions. HBOT helps increase oxygen delivery to damaged tissues, promoting faster healing, reducing swelling, and fighting infection. It’s commonly used for diabetic foot ulcers, radiation injuries, surgical wounds, and more.

Pre-Treatment Evaluation

Before your first session, our clinical team will review your medical history and complete a physical assessment to ensure HBOT is right for you.

Preparation

You'll be asked to wear 100% cotton clothing provided by our staff and remove any prohibited items (like electronics or flammable materials).

Entering the Chamber

You'll lie comfortably in a clear, pressurized chamber. Our technician will be with you every step of the way to ensure your comfort.

Oxygen Therapy

Once the chamber reaches the prescribed pressure, you'll breathe pure oxygen. This process typically lasts around 90 minutes and may involve gradual pressure changes, similar to flying in an airplane.

Post-Treatment Monitoring

After the session, our team will assist you out of the chamber and monitor you briefly to ensure you feel well before you leave.

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a specialized treatment that enhances the healing process for patients with chronic and hard-to-heal wounds. In a controlled environment, breathing 100% medical-grade oxygen at hyperbaric pressures allows far more oxygen to dissolve into the bloodstream, increasing the delivery of oxygen to the body by providing pure oxygen in an enclosed space with higher-than-normal air pressure.

A painless procedure, HBOT can effectively treat and heal many health conditions and promote the body’s natural healing process. You may hear the HBOT process called other names, such as hyperbaric oxygen treatment, oxygen treatment, and hyperbaric therapy.

Conditions treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy essentially saturates tissues with oxygen. A hyperbaric environment energizes the healing process by reducing inflammation and improving blood circulation. This therapy is especially beneficial for chronic wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, radiation-induced injuries to tissues, and any case where there is decreased oxygen to tissues. Obtaining a prescription for HBOT involves a thorough medical evaluation that determines whether this treatment is beneficial for the patient. At TenMed, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is part of a comprehensive evidence-based plan for optimum healing in wound care.

Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Increased blood flow

Your body's natural healing process can benefit greatly from the higher oxygen levels generated by HBOT. Low blood flow and insufficient oxygen supply are also linked to some mental health issues. Attention deficit disorder and bipolar disorder are two of the many mental health conditions that HBOT effectively treats and improve.

Accelerated healing

Your body's capacity to heal itself is enhanced by the higher oxygen levels generated by HBOT. In addition to boosting cells and tissues as they naturally repair the damage within your body, the increased oxygen content lowers inflammation and swelling.

New cell generation

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy facilitates the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis, which is critical for delivering oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissues. By enhancing vascular growth, HBOT supports the regeneration of connective tissues and promotes the development of healthy skin. This increased oxygenation also stimulates cellular repair mechanisms, encouraging the replacement of damaged cells with new, functional tissue, ultimately contributing to faster and more effective wound healing.

The History and Evolution of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, often called HBOT, sounds like a modern medical invention, but its story actually stretches back hundreds of years. It originated in the 17th century, when physicians began experimenting with pressurized chambers in an effort to understand how changes in air pressure could influence the human body. At that time, medical science was still in its infancy. In fact, the concept of oxygen’s role in human health was not truly discovered. But later in the 18th century, researchers and physicians started to better understand the role of oxygen in cellular function and tissue repair; however, as knowledge expanded, so did the awareness of potential toxicity in oxygen, which slowed the progress in the field.

The Resurgence of Hyperbaric Medicine

The early 1990s marked a turning point. Interest in hyperbaric therapy re-emerged in the early 20th century; engineers developed the larger chambers, and researchers discovered that breathing 100 percent oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure significantly increased the amount of oxygen delivered throughout the body.

This discovery finally transformed hyperbaric oxygen therapy into a structured medical treatment.

And by the mid-20th century, HBOT was increasingly being recognized for its ability to support wound healing, stimulate new blood vessel growth, and enhance the body’s natural repair processes.

HBOT in Chronic Wound Care

By the late 1960s, hyperbaric oxygen therapy started to be used as a treatment option for chronic wounds, non-healing wounds, and tissue injuries caused by poor blood circulation. Clinical researchers continued to research its benefits and found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy supports cellular processes like collagen production, angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth), and better immune system function.

The studies showed that higher oxygen levels can:

Increase new blood vessel formation
Support collagen production
Enhance white blood cell activity
Reduce swelling and inflammation
Improve tissue survival
Accelerate wound healing

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy today:

Over the years, advancements in chamber design, safety protocols, and clinical guidelines have made hyperbaric oxygen therapy both safer and more accessible to patients. Most treatments today are performed in specialized facilities using monoplace hyperbaric chambers, which are designed to treat one patient at a time. Inside the chamber, the patient lies comfortably while breathing 100 percent pure oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure. The chamber is clear, which allows patients to remain relaxed and visible to the medical team throughout the session.

Before beginning therapy, each patient undergoes a detailed medical evaluation to determine whether HBOT is appropriate for their condition. Patients typically continue under the care of their primary physician while receiving treatment. A physician trained in hyperbaric medicine oversees the therapy plan, and specialized staff members monitor the chamber and equipment during every session to ensure both safety and effectiveness.

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works

The effectiveness of HBOT is based on basic gas laws that explain how pressure affects oxygen delivery in the body. At sea level, we breathe air that only contains 21 percent oxygen at normal atmospheric pressure. Inside a hyperbaric chamber, the pressure can be increased to up to three times normal levels while the patient breathes 100 percent pure oxygen. This increased pressure allows a significantly higher amount of oxygen to dissolve directly into the blood plasma. As a result, oxygen reaches the tissues that may not be receiving an adequate supply due to swelling, injury, or poor blood circulation.

By increasing oxygen levels in the bloodstream, hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps support the body’s natural healing mechanisms and enhances tissue recovery at the cellular level.

Start Healing Now

Wound care is time-sensitive. That’s why we make it a priority to see you quickly.
We can usually schedule an appointment within a few days.