Hyperbaric oxygen could provide relief of chronic pain

One possible solution is hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) therapy, which is the clinical application of pure oxygen at higher-than-atmospheric pressure for limited time periods to achieve beneficial results. The FDA has approved HBO₂ treatment for certain conditions such as decompression sickness (the 'bends') and carbon monoxide poisoning but not for pain specifically.

Yangmiao Zhang, a graduate student in the laboratory of Raymond M. Quock, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Washington State University, evaluated whether relief of neuropathic pain could be enhanced by increasing the number of HBO₂ treatments. Male rats were injected and tested on their paws for pain thresholds at four different times. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, rats were treated with a 60-minute period of room air (the control), or HBO₂. Rats that underwent the most number of HBO₂ treatments (four 60-minute treatments) recovered approximately 7 days earlier than rats who received a single treatment.

Quock concluded, "While most other HBO₂ pain studies focus on inflammatory mechanisms, we believe that HBO₂ also reduces pain by acting in the brain. Studying the mechanism of how HBO₂ can reduce neuropathic pain can reveal molecular targets in the brain and possibly stimulate the development of new drugs that act on the same targets for long-term relief of chronic pain." This research was supported by Washington State University.