Wound Healing Slowly? Here's How HBOT Can Help

An estimated six and a half million Americans struggle with chronic wounds each year, and standard treatments aren’t always enough. This is more than a frustrating nuisance. It can start to affect everything from your mobility to your mood. Slow progress may indicate that your body isn’t receiving the oxygen it needs to repair itself. That’s where hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can help. This innovative treatment uses 99.7% medical-grade oxygen in a pressurized chamber to jump-start healing and help fight stubborn infections. 

Continue reading to learn how HBOT supports your healing, what kinds of wounds it can help, what you can expect during treatment, and where to find the best hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia so you can take the next step toward recovery with confidence.

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?

HBOT is a medical treatment that helps your body heal by enhancing oxygen delivery and increasing oxygen saturation in your tissues. During an HBOT session, you sit or lie in a pressurized chamber while breathing 99.7% medical-grade oxygen. The increased pressure allows your lungs to take in much more oxygen than normal, which then travels through your bloodstream to reach injured or damaged areas of your body. This oxygen-rich environment helps speed up tissue repair, promote angiogenesis, reduce swelling, reduce inflammation, and support your immune system in fighting off infection. 

HBOT is documented to help several conditions, including but not limited to:

• Necrotizing soft tissue infections
• Diabetic ulcers
• Radiation injuries
• Chronic bone infections, also known as osteomyelitis

For people whose wounds just aren’t getting better with standard care, HBOT offers a science-backed approach to give the body an extra boost and promote faster, more complete healing.

What Types of Wounds Benefit From Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is often used when complex wounds aren’t healing the way they should, especially after trying other treatments. It’s commonly recommended for diabetic foot ulcers, which can become serious if left untreated, as well as radiation-induced tissue damage from cancer treatments and surgical wounds that aren’t closing properly. Doctors also use HBOT to help heal burns, crush injuries, and complications from skin grafts or flaps that haven’t taken well after surgery. 

Reasons Why Your Wound May Not Be Healing Normally

If your wound is healing slower than expected, there’s usually a reason behind it. Common issues, such as poor circulation, diabetes, or systemic infections, can prevent your body from delivering enough oxygen and nutrients to the area that needs to heal. Other factors, like smoking, not getting the right nutrients, or even taking certain medications, can also slow down your recovery without you realizing it. 

How Effective Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Wound Healing? 

By increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood, HBOT helps your body repair damaged tissue faster and fight off infections more effectively. Clinical studies show improved healing rates when HBOT is used as an evidence-based therapy alongside other treatments, such as wound cleaning, also known as debridement, antibiotics, and comprehensive wound care, to achieve the best possible results. For many patients, this combined approach leads to noticeable improvements in just a few weeks.

What to Expect During Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Sessions

During a hyperbaric oxygen therapy session: 

• You’ll spend about 90 to 120 minutes inside a pressurized chamber where you’ll breathe medical-grade oxygen. 
• Most people find the experience relaxing. You can lie down, watch TV, listen to music, or even take a nap. 
• The treatment itself is painless, but you might feel pressure in your ears, similar to what happens during takeoff in an airplane. Your care team will show you how to clear your ears to stay comfortable. 
• Depending on your condition and how your body responds, you may need anywhere from 20 to 40 sessions to get the full benefits. These sessions are usually done once a day, five days a week. 

While it’s a time commitment, many people start noticing improvements after just a few weeks of treatment.

Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Safe?

While the treatment is noninvasive and painless, some people may experience mild, temporary side effects, such as pressure in the ears, similar to what you feel on an airplane, or fatigue after a session. These effects usually go away quickly and are closely monitored by your care team. To make sure you receive the safest and most effective treatment, it’s important to go to an accredited wound care center with experienced staff who understand how to tailor therapy to your specific needs.

Where to Find the Best Wound Care Specialist in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia

At Regenerative and Hyperbaric Medicine, we combine advanced wound care with FDA-approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy to deliver faster, more complete healing for patients across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, including Cumming, Marietta, and Sandy Springs. 

Our board-certified physicians take the time to evaluate your condition and provide the right treatment from the start, whether that means surgical debridement, skin grafting, or wound vac therapy. From there, our experienced hyperbaric technicians guide you through oxygen therapy in cutting-edge monoplace and multiplace chambers designed to flood damaged tissue with life-giving oxygen. 

We’re proud to be UHMS-accredited with distinction since 2017 and maintain a 100% safety record, so you can trust that your care is not only effective but also held to the highest standards. At our Metro Atlanta clinic, every decision we make is rooted in science, compassion, and a commitment to helping you return to life without limits.

Ready to boost your healing with the best wound care specialists in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia?