HBOT and Exercise Recovery

Initial visit to discuss the study and obtain consent. At this visit, baseline subject demographics (height, weight, body composition) and a medical history will be taken to confirm that there are no medical contraindications to either exercise or HBOT. This visit will likely take 30-45 minutes. There will be 15 subsequent visits. Each of these visits will be conducted concurrent with their standard off-season workouts. An additional 15 minutes per workout session may be required for the collection of study-related, non-standard of care, outcome measures. During the second week of the study, the experimental group will have four daily 90 minute sessions of HBOT. Travel time from the site of their workouts (West Haven CT) to the HBOT facility (Bridgeport Hospital) is approximately 20 minutes. Immediately following exercise, each experimental subject will be fitted with the surface muscle oxygenation monitor on their vastus lateralis. This monitor (Moxy, Fortiori Design LLC) utilizes near-infrared spectroscopy. The monitor will be applied to the distal third of the vastus lateralis muscle (12cm above the knee joint) as identified and marked by the PI (an orthopaedic surgeon). This will provide continuous muscle oxygenation report following exercise, including during and immediately after the HBOT treatment. Both the experimental and control groups will have blood lactate measurements taken within 15 minutes before the start of their daily exercise, as well as within 5 minutes of the completion of exercise, utilizing The Edge blood lactate monitoring system (Apexbio, Taiwan). Once per week the performance of The Edge monitor will be validated utilizing The Edge Lactate Control Solution. The Edge monitor measures blood lactate from a drop of blood from a finger tip applied to a sterile lancet. The result is reported in approximately 45 seconds.