HBO Therapy for Wound Care: What Happens During Treatment
Chronic wounds — diabetic foot ulcers, radiation injuries, bone infections — don’t always respond to standard wound care. That’s where hyperbaric oxygen therapy, commonly called HBO therapy, comes in. If you’ve been referred for treatment and have no idea what to expect when you walk through that clinic door, this article breaks down exactly what happens, step by step.
What HBO Therapy Actually Does
Inside a hyperbaric chamber, you breathe 100% pure oxygen at pressures roughly two to three times higher than normal atmospheric pressure. That combination forces significantly more oxygen into your blood plasma — far beyond what your lungs can deliver under normal conditions. For wounds that aren’t healing, the issue is often poor circulation or tissue damage that’s left the area oxygen-starved. The extra oxygen stimulates new blood vessel growth, fights certain bacteria, and supports the collagen production that tissue repair depends on.
The Initial Assessment
Before your first session, a wound care specialist will review your medical history, current medications, and imaging if relevant. They’re checking for contraindications — certain lung conditions, some medications like doxorubicin, and untreated pneumothorax can make HBO therapy unsafe. You’ll also get a baseline evaluation of the wound itself, often including measurements and photographs that track progress over your course of treatment.
Some clinics ask patients to avoid caffeine on treatment days because it can cause mild blood vessel constriction. You’ll also be asked to skip petroleum-based products on your skin, since oil and high-pressure oxygen aren’t a safe mix.
Walking Into the Chamber
Most HBO chambers used for wound care are monoplace chambers — clear acrylic cylinders just wide enough for one person lying down. You change into a cotton gown (no synthetic fabrics allowed), remove jewelry, and slide onto a padded tray that moves into the chamber. The acrylic is transparent, so you can see the room around you the whole time.
Some facilities use multiplace chambers, which look more like submarine compartments and can hold several patients at once. In those, you wear a mask or hood to breathe the oxygen rather than having the whole chamber pressurized with pure oxygen.
What the Session Feels Like
Once the chamber seals, the pressure starts rising gradually — a process called compression. Most patients notice the same sensation you’d feel descending in an airplane or driving down a mountain: pressure in the ears. You’ll be shown how to equalize using the same techniques divers use, like swallowing or gently blowing with your nose pinched. Staff can pause compression if you need a moment.
At full pressure, the sensation largely disappears. A typical session runs 90 minutes to two hours. People watch TV, listen to music, nap, or just stare at the ceiling. It’s genuinely not dramatic. When the session ends, the pressure drops slowly again during decompression, and you walk out feeling more or less the same as when you walked in — maybe slightly tired, occasionally lightheaded for a few minutes.
The Full Course of Treatment
A single session doesn’t heal a wound. HBO therapy for wound care typically runs 20 to 40 sessions, five days a week. The cumulative effect is what matters — each session builds on the last, gradually improving oxygen delivery to damaged tissue and supporting the body’s own repair processes.
Progress is tracked regularly throughout. If a wound isn’t responding after a set number of sessions, the treatment team will reassess rather than continuing indefinitely. That kind of structured monitoring is standard in reputable wound care programs.
Side Effects Worth Knowing About
The most common side effect is ear or sinus discomfort from pressure changes, usually manageable with the equalization techniques you’re taught. Some patients experience temporary nearsightedness during a long course of treatment — the lens of the eye can change shape slightly under repeated pressure. This typically reverses within weeks of finishing treatment.
Oxygen toxicity is possible but rare at the pressures used in wound care protocols. Seizures from oxygen toxicity do occur occasionally, which is why sessions are timed carefully and pressure levels are controlled. The risk is real but low when treatment follows established guidelines.
Finding the Right Facility
Not every clinic offering HBO therapy is the same. Look for a program staffed by physicians trained in undersea and hyperbaric medicine, with equipment that meets established safety standards. Searching for hbo therapy near me is a great starting point, but follow up by checking whether the facility is accredited and whether hyperbaric specialists are directly involved in your care — not just technicians running equipment.
If you’re managing a wound that’s been stalled for weeks or months, the practical takeaway is this: ask your wound care provider specifically whether HBO therapy is appropriate for your wound type. Not every chronic wound qualifies, but for the ones that do — radiation necrosis, diabetic foot ulcers at risk of amputation, refractory osteomyelitis — the evidence for benefit is solid, and the process is far less intimidating than it sounds.
