Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on exercise-induced muscle soreness

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of HBO2 therapy on exercise-induced muscle soreness. Subjects (n = 6 male and 10 female university student volunteers) were randomly divided into an experimental group that received HBO2 therapy and a control group that did not receive any treatments. HBO2 treatments consisted of 5 sessions of breathing 95% oxygen at 2.5 atm abs for 100 min. Temporary muscle soreness was created using a single-leg eccentric exercise task involving the quadriceps femoris. Over the next 14 days, measurements were obtained on muscle soreness, leg circumference, quadriceps peak torque, quadriceps average power, fatigue and plasma creatine kinase. After eccentric exercise, plasma creatine kinase (CK) levels and perceived muscle soreness were elevated but were not different between HBO2 and control groups. HBO2 therapy did not alter leg circumference, quadriceps peak torque, average power or fatigue compared to the control group. Faster recovery was observed in the HBO2 group on day 3 following the exercise protocol with perceived muscle soreness still elevated for the control group but not different from baseline for the HBO2 group. The data indicated that five HBO2 treatments did not speed recovery following eccentric exercise that induced temporary muscle soreness.