Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Your Questions

How It Works

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in plain English?

You sit in a sealed chamber, the pressure is raised, and you breathe oxygen. Ordinary air is about 21% oxygen; in the chamber you are breathing close to pure oxygen. The pressure drives that oxygen into the liquid part of your blood, so your bloodstream carries several times more of it than usual.

Why does the pressure matter?

Because gas dissolves into liquid better under pressure — the same physics as scuba diving. Without the pressure you are just breathing oxygen. With it, the plasma that surrounds your brain and spinal cord and reaches every organ carries far more oxygen than it normally would.

What kind of chambers do you have?

Two soft-shell chambers, both from the same manufacturer, running at slightly different pressures. The sit-up chamber at Chula Vista runs at 1.3 ATA; the Kearny Mesa chamber runs at 1.4 ATA and is the accessible one, with a large door you can walk into or transfer into from a wheelchair or a seat. Both are inflatable over an internal frame with a triple-zip seal, oxygen is delivered through a mask or nasal cannula, and both are staffed — you are never in there on your own.

How long is a session?

Between 60 and 90 minutes at pressure. Where you land in that range depends on what we are working on. Add a few minutes either side while the pressure comes up and back down.

How many sessions will I need?

A course usually runs 20 to 40 sessions, five or six days a week, because the changes build up through consecutive days rather than occasional visits. Something acute can need as few as three to twenty; something chronic can run longer. Improvement is rarely linear — feeling tired early on is common, and steady change often shows up around the fifteenth to twentieth session. You will get a real number after we have talked.

Does it matter if I miss sessions?

Yes, more than people expect. Four a week is the floor, and on a longer protocol each missed session costs a little of the result. If five days a week is not realistic for a stretch, say so on the call — it changes what we recommend rather than quietly costing you the outcome.

Does it hurt?

No. The one thing you will feel is your ears as the pressure changes, like the descent of a flight. Yawning or swallowing clears it, and if it is uncomfortable we slow the rate down.

Is It Right For Me?

Who should not use a chamber?

More people than you would guess. Uncontrolled heart rhythms or heart failure, COPD or emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, untreated sleep apnea, uncontrolled asthma, a history of a spontaneously collapsed lung, an uncontrolled seizure disorder, uncontrolled diabetes or blood pressure, severe claustrophobia, a fever, active smoking, chemotherapy, and recent dental or facial surgery all get screened first. We do not put pregnant clients in a chamber, and never at eight months or beyond. A controlled condition is often fine with clearance from the doctor treating it. All of this happens on the callback, before anything is booked.

Will it fix my injury?

We will not promise that, and be careful with anyone who does. What we can say is that slow-healing tissue is often short on oxygen and circulation, and this addresses that directly. Whether it moves the needle for you is what the first conversation is for.

Which location do I go to?

Whichever chamber suits you — Chula Vista for the sit-up chamber, Kearny Mesa for the modular one. Same hours, same team, same phone number at both.

How do I start?

Ask for the free callback, or call (619) 397-1391 during clinic hours: Monday to Thursday 9am to 6pm, Friday 8am to 5pm.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy at our clinics is used to support recovery and general wellness. It is not a substitute for medical care and it is not appropriate for every patient.