What Researchers Did
Turkish military hospital physicians reviewed 25 patients with spondylodiscitis (infection of the spine and discs) who were treated with HBOT plus targeted antibiotics over a six-year period, tracking pain, inflammation, and recurrence.
What They Found
Pain scores dropped from a median of 8/10 to 3/10 (P < 0.001) after treatment. Inflammation markers fell significantly: C-reactive protein dropped from 22.3 to 6.8 mg/L (P = 0.002). At a median follow-up of 48 months, no patients had persistent or recurring spondylodiscitis. HBOT was given at 2.43 ATA for 120 minutes per session, 5 days per week, for 30 total sessions.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
The small sample of 25 patients with no control group makes it impossible to separate the benefits of HBOT from those of the antibiotics alone.