Hyperbaric Oxygen Heals Osteomyelitis
Some patients have lived with the pain and fatigue from chronic refractory osteomyelitis for years with no reprieve, until hyperbaric oxygen therapy and antibiotics together healed their osteomyelitis for good!
Are you a Physician? View Provider version of this page
Some patients have lived with the pain and fatigue from chronic refractory osteomyelitis for years with no reprieve, until hyperbaric oxygen therapy and antibiotics together healed their osteomyelitis for good!
Are you a Physician? View Provider version of this page
How Hyperbarics Helps
Kills bacteria and infections and makes antibiotics more effective
Increases blood supply to tissues and bones
Supercharges the bone and tissues with oxygen
Regrows new blood vessels and improves blood flow
Grows new tissue, skin and collagen
Often completely heals bone infections
Supercharge bones and tissues with oxygen and trigger a variety of healing pathways.
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone or bone marrow. It is called refractory osteomyelitis when the bacteria continues to reside in the bone, even after antibiotics and surgery have been attempted to cure it. Refractory means it is in the chronic stage. Refractory osteomyelitis is often treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), after other methods to heal the bone have failed. This is usually after a period of 4 to 6 weeks of infection and when the other therapies such as antibiotics and debridement (removal of infected or dead tissue and bone) could not clear out the infection.
Frequently, physicians prescribe Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as a therapy in conjunction with oral or IV antibiotics and debridement. There are however some bones that cannot be debrided, and in such situations, they use antibiotics and HBOT by themselves. There is an approximately 50% cure rate for bone infections using surgery and antibiotics alone. When hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used, the success rate rises to over 85%.
HBOT is an effective, painless and low risk treatment that supercharges bones and tissues with oxygen and triggers a variety of healing pathways. Oxygen under pressure provides unique healing properties. We have seen many bone infections in our clinics over the last 25 years. We have treated people with infections in the face, orbit, ear, skull, vertebrae, chest, ribs, pelvis, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes. Most of these patients have healed completely when treated with HBOT.
As a story near and dear to our hearts, our founder Lisa St. John used HBOT to heal the infected bones in her face. This experience turned her into such a convert that she decided to put her MS in Public Health from Harvard to use, and started Bay Area Hyperbarics!
Give us a call and we will discuss any questions or concerns you might have, and see if HBOT is right for you or your loved one. It is time to stop the suffering and heal naturally with oxygen!
Patient Experiences
Listen to what real patients have to say about their experiences.
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Lisa, 44
After seven years of suffering, hyperbaric oxygen therapy healed her osteomyelitis.
Lisa St John, the clinic director for Bay Area Hyperbarics, had chronic refractory osteomyelitis that lasted seven years with no relief. The infection induced severe fatigue and cognitive impairment that prevented her from working, and required her to sleep up to 18 hours per day. Finally, a physician recommended hyperbaric oxygen therapy with antibiotics, which after 60 treatments, healed her. Shortly after being healed, she sold her home to begin her first hyperbaric oxygen therapy clinic, which she has owned for 25 years!
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Jennifer, 68
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy eliminated the need for surgery to heal her bone infection.
Jennifer had osteomyelitis of the lower jaw (mandible), which proved difficult to heal. Her teeth were becoming loose, and her doctor thought she would need surgery. However, he prescribed hyperbaric oxygen therapy before the surgery, and after 60 treatments, her chronic refractory osteomyelitis healed completely, regrowing bone in her mandible. Jennifer was able to keep her teeth, and was able to return to her active lifestyle, hiking regularly with her husband.
Patients: Get Started with Hyperbarics
It's easy to get started with Hyperbarics. Just follow these simple steps.
1
Give us a call
Did a physician refer you? If so, they can download and fax us back a patient referral form. If not, our medical staff will discuss whether hyperbaric is right for you.
2
We talk with your insurance
Our medical staff contacts Medicare or private insurance to receive authorization and create a plan with you.
3
You get on the road to recovery
We do a medical intake, explain everything you need to know, and get started on your hyperbaric oxygen anti-aging therapy sessions.
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Still looking for answers?
We're here to help. Contact us today to learn more about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you.
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What is Hyperbaric Medicine?
Hyperbaric medicine, also called hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT, is a medical treatment where a patient sits or lies in pressurized chamber and breathes 100% oxygen. In HBOT, oxygen dissolves into the blood, thus raising the oxygen concentration to very high levels.This increased oxygen is a primary building block for tissues, muscle, and bone repair. Among other benefits, it kicks off cell reproduction, heals injuries and infection more rapidly, and decreases inflammation.
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Does HBOT kill cancer cells?
Current research indicates that hyperbaric oxygen does not kill cancer cells. However, there has been a small amount of research indicating that hyperbaric oxygen might reduce the size of certain tumors. Also, there has been a study on mice using hyperbaric oxygen, along with a ketogenic diet, to reduce tumors. Hyperbaric oxygen causes many different healing modalities to kick into gear. Could its effect on strengthening the immune system inhibit the growth of cancer cells? Nobody knows. There are numerous studies conclusively showing that hyperbaric oxygen does not encourage cancer cells or tumors to grow. Some patients claim the hyperbaric oxygen makes them feel a lot more comfortable and functional after chemotherapy and also during healing. Note that some chemotherapy drugs are not to be used with hyperbaric oxygen, as the chemotherapy drugs can be enhanced and thus become toxic. A good hyperbaric oxygen facility (such as Bay Area Hyperbarics) will always call the chemotherapy manufacturer to ensure that hyperbaric oxygen therapy will be helpful and not damaging to the patient.
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What is the CPT code for HBOT?
The CPT code for HBOT is G0277.
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Does Medicare cover HBOT?
Medicare covers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for approved conditions, and many insurance companies also cover approved conditions. If your condition is not approved by your insurance, we can discuss our special rates. Give us a call at (408) 356–7438. We are happy to discuss your options with you.
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Can HBOT help Neuropathy?
Hyperbaric treatments help heal neuropathy by regrowing small blood vessels and nerves that have died from disease, injuries from radiation and aging. Patients often experience numbness and or pain when they start treatment. Hyperbaric treatments most often bring back sensation and make, for example, walking easier and more enjoyable.
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Why would a physician consider HBOT?
A physician would consider using hyperbaric chamber therapy under a variety of situations. Physicians most typically refer patients to hyperbarics when the patient is not healing with traditional medical interventions and hyperbaric chamber therapy is approved by Medicare for this condition. Some patients experience significant unresolved pain and unremitting disease states that the mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber are known to affect, such as the down regulation of inflamatory genes. For an example, some patients have experienced severe, unremitting hives with itching, which did not improve with any specialists interventions. Some physicians will consider hyperbaric chamber therapy if the patient has no other good avenues for improving their failing health, and they know the hyperbaric chamber therapy is safe and will not harm the patient.
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What is Hypebaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HB0T) is a medical treatment where you inhale 100% oxygen in a chamber with increased atmospheric pressure. HBOT injects 400x the oxygen into your tissues and bones and mobilizes stem cells. It regrows healthy tissues in the brain, blood vessels, skin and bones. It also reduces pain and swelling, and speeds recovery. It is simple, effective and painless.