A federally funded study will test whether a controversial therapy known as HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) can help to ease symptoms of cerebral palsy. Forty-eight children with cerebral palsy will participate in study and receive the therapy for free at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Patients undergoing HBOT receive high concentrations of oxygen in a pressurized chamber. It’s believed that the high dose of oxygen can help revitalize damaged brain cells, which are at the root of cerebral palsy.

The therapy is already approved for use in individuals suffering from decompression sickness (the “bends”), carbon monoxide poisoning and radiation injuries. However, the use of HBOT in the treatment of neurological disorders like cerebral palsy is controversial.

Research has yet to prove the effectiveness of HBOT for easing the symptoms of cerebral palsy in kids, and this study may shed some light on whether it’s a therapy worth pursuing for this purpose.

Tags: "Cerebral Palsy Treatment" "Cerebral Palsy Symptoms" HBOT "hyperbaric oxygen therapy"