The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on pain and quality of life in bone marrow edema

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of ten sessions of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) on pain and quality of life in patients with bone marrow edema (BME) who had no specific etiological diagnosis and had previously tried immobilization and analgesic-anti-inflammatory drugs without success.

Methods: This retrospective study involved patients aged 18-65 diagnosed with BME via MRI. Participants underwent ten HBOT sessions in a multi-place pressure chamber at 2.4 ATA for 120 minutes per session. Exclusion criteria included avascular necrosis, active malignancy, advanced osteoarthritis, inflammatory disease, claustrophobia, epilepsy, pregnancy, and lack of consent. The study utilized the SF-12 Quality of Life Scale and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain to measure outcomes before and after HBOT, and data were analyzed using SPSS 25 with appropriate statistical tests.

Results: The study included 64 patients (51.6% female, median age 44). HBOT significantly improved the overall quality of life (mean SF-12 score: before 4366 ± 2006, after 4889 ± 2053, p=0.034) and showed notable reductions in pain (mean VAS score: before 7,4 ± 1,2 after 3,8 ± 1,3, p<0.001). The male and overweight patients showed more significant benefits.

Conclusion: HBOT is a promising treatment for BME-related pain and quality of life improvement, especially in cases unresponsive to standard therapies. Clinical improvement may begin after just ten sessions of HBOT. The findings suggest that male and overweight patients may benefit more from HBOT, highlighting the need for further research to explore the underlying mechanisms and optimize treatment protocols.

How to cite this article

Demir L, Öztürk M, İlbasmış MS, Avcı M, Kahraman M, Yücel Uçarkuş T. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on pain and quality of life in bone marrow edema. J Med Dent Invest 2025;6:e250178.