What Researchers Did
Eleven experienced Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes participated in a cross-over randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy versus passive recovery on post-training recovery.
What They Found
Researchers found no significant differences in final lactate levels (control: 11.9 ± 1.4 mmol/L; hyperbaric oxygen: 10.2 ± 1.4 mmol/L) or perceived exertion between the two recovery conditions.
There were also no significant effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on hormone concentrations (cortisol, total testosterone) or cellular damage markers (creatine kinase, AST, ALT) at any time point (P>0.05).
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian jiu-jitsu athletes, hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not appear to offer superior benefits for post-training recovery compared to passive recovery, based on markers of muscle damage, hormones, and perceived exertion.
Athletes seeking to optimize recovery might consider other evidence-based strategies rather than relying on hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted with Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its small sample size of eleven experienced jiu-jitsu athletes, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.