What can hyperbaric oxygen treatment help with?

How hyperbaric treatment works

The treatment, often called HBOT, involves breathing high-purity medical oxygen inside a pressurised chamber. The increased pressure helps more oxygen enter the blood and reach the body's tissues. A doctor chooses the treatment settings and course for the person and their condition. FDA: safe use of hyperbaric oxygen devices.

For more on the gas supply, read why high-purity medical oxygen matters.

Part A: recognised indications and FDA clearance

FINK’s clearance K240569 lists these 13 conditions. A clinician determines whether a specific patient meets the indication and which protocol is appropriate.

• air or gas embolism
• carbon monoxide poisoning, including with cyanide poisoning
• clostridial myonecrosis
• crush injury, compartment syndrome and other acute traumatic ischaemias
• decompression sickness
• enhancement of healing of selected problem wounds
• exceptional blood loss anaemia
• necrotising soft tissue infections
• refractory osteomyelitis
• delayed radiation injury
• compromised grafts and flaps
• acute thermal burn injury
• intracranial abscess

FDA clearance. UHMS also recognises idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and avascular necrosis. These additional UHMS indications are distinct from the 13 in K240569. UHMS indications.

Helping damaged tissue heal

Hyperbaric treatment has recognised uses in tissue healing and emergency care. It is often combined with wound treatment, antibiotics or surgery.

These are specific medical situations. A routine cut or uncomplicated operation does not automatically need chamber treatment. Your treating team decides whether it adds value to the care already in place. Recognised medical uses listed by UHMS.

Sudden hearing loss

A sudden loss of hearing, often in one ear, is another reason a specialist may consider hyperbaric treatment. For a particular type affecting the inner ear, it can be offered alongside steroid treatment. The aim is to improve the chance of recovering hearing.

Timing matters. Ear-specialist guidance places initial treatment within the first two weeks, with some further treatment options within the first month. If your hearing suddenly changes, seek medical attention promptly rather than waiting to arrange a wellness appointment. Ear-specialist guidance on sudden hearing loss.

Part B: programmes offered by The Brain & Performance Centre

The following programmes are offered under the clinic’s medical assessment. They are separate from the device’s cleared indications. Research findings and limits are set out below. A programme is not a promised outcome.

Healthy ageing and clearer thinking

For many people, healthy ageing means staying able to work, enjoy interests and manage daily life. Attention and the speed of thinking matter just as much as how long someone lives.

A controlled study in healthy older adults found improvements in attention and information-processing speed after a full course of hyperbaric treatment. Memory gains did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. These findings do not show that treatment prevents dementia or turns back ageing. Study of thinking skills in healthy older adults.

At Dubai's Brain & Performance Centre, healthy ageing is approached through medical assessment and a programme combining chamber sessions with brain and physical training and nutrition support. The practical goals are personal: thinking more clearly, staying active and maintaining independence. BPC's healthy ageing programme.

Stamina and physical performance

Active adults also explore hyperbaric treatment because they want to maintain their physical performance as they get older.

A small study in already active, middle-aged athletes found improvements in aerobic exercise tests after a course of treatment, compared with simulated treatment. This suggests a potential benefit for exercise capacity in that particular group. It does not mean a session will improve everyone's fitness or speed up every sports injury. Study of physical performance in middle-aged athletes.

A programme should still include appropriate exercise and recovery planning. Oxygen treatment does not replace the work of building strength, improving fitness or treating an injury.

Fibromyalgia and persistent pain

Fibromyalgia can involve widespread pain, poor sleep and tiredness. Concentrating and carrying out ordinary tasks can become difficult.

Trials suggest that hyperbaric treatment may reduce pain and make daily activities easier for some people with fibromyalgia. A study published in 2026 found improvements when treatment was added to usual care, although some gains reduced after treatment stopped. This remains a developing use and should be considered alongside existing care. Fibromyalgia study comparing treatment plus usual care with usual care alone.

BPC offers a fibromyalgia programme with assessment and personalised support. A clear diagnosis matters: findings in fibromyalgia do not mean that every cause of chronic pain will respond in the same way. BPC's fibromyalgia programme.

Long COVID and brain fog

Long COVID can leave people struggling with fatigue, concentration, sleep and day-to-day function long after the infection has passed.

A trial using 40 hyperbaric sessions reported improvements in thinking skills and some symptoms, including energy and sleep, compared with simulated treatment. The 2025 HOT-LoCO trial (Kjellberg et al., BMJ Open), using ten sessions, did not find an advantage over simulated treatment on its main measures of physical function. The courses and study populations differed, and the results leave questions about who benefits and which treatment approach is appropriate. The 40-session Long COVID study, HOT-LoCO, the ten-session trial.

For someone with persistent symptoms, the first step is an assessment of what is causing the difficulties and what care they need. BPC's Long COVID programme is one specialist option to discuss, rather than a guaranteed route back to full health. BPC's Long COVID assessment and programme.

Recovery after concussion or stroke

Lasting symptoms after a head injury or stroke can make concentration and daily activities difficult.

Some trials have reported improvements after hyperbaric treatment, but results are mixed. A small 2025 brain-injury trial found reduced symptoms, while US veterans' and military healthcare guidelines recommend against using HBOT for persistent symptoms of mild brain injury. For longer-term stroke recovery, an earlier encouraging trial was followed by a smaller study that did not find meaningful benefit. These are specialist research uses, rather than established treatments for every survivor. The 2025 brain-injury study, mild brain-injury guidance, the earlier stroke-recovery study, the later stroke-recovery trial.

Any proposed programme should work alongside appropriate rehabilitation. A suspected new stroke needs immediate emergency care, not a booked course of chamber sessions.

Researchers are also studying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has not improved with usual care. A trial in selected combat veterans found improved symptoms after a supervised course, but this remains an emerging option requiring specialist mental-health care. The controlled PTSD study.

What a treatment programme involves

The right starting point is a medical assessment, not a fixed number of sessions chosen in advance.

BPC describes a programme that begins with checks of medical, thinking and physical function. Depending on the person, this can include brain imaging, tests of attention and thinking speed, and an assessment of fitness and movement.

Its main programme commonly involves 60 chamber sessions over 12 weeks, alongside personalised training and nutrition support. Tests are repeated afterwards to check what has changed. Other conditions can need very different schedules, so the doctor should explain the proposed course for you. BPC's assessment and treatment programme.

Ask what the programme aims to improve, how progress will be measured and what happens if you do not improve.

Explore whether treatment is right for you

HBO₂ Health can arrange an introduction to Dubai's Brain & Performance Centre to discuss your condition or healthy ageing goals. Share your location and your timeframe and ask for a medical assessment. The clinic will explain how to share your health information securely.

Before booking, use our Dubai clinic questions to prepare for the conversation.