Advanced Concussion Treatments and Athletic Recovery
Revolutionizing Athletic Recovery with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Holistic Treatments
Athletic trainers face increasing challenges in managing injuries, especially concussions. At Extivita, we offer Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and a suite of complementary therapies to accelerate healing, enhance recovery, and ensure athletes return to play faster and stronger. Discover how our therapies can help you overcome common recovery challenges and provide cutting-edge care to your athletes.
Breakthrough Concussion Treatments for Athletes
The Growing Concussion Crisis
Each year, approximately 173,285 concussions are diagnosed in adolescents aged 0-19 due to sports and recreational activities. Concussions can lead to lasting cognitive, physical, and emotional issues if not treated effectively.
Limitations of Standard Concussion Protocols
Current concussion management typically includes:
- Physical and Cognitive Rest
- Gradual Return-to-Play Protocols
These approaches aim to minimize symptoms but do not heal the brain injury itself, often leading to incomplete recovery and prolonged symptoms.
How HBOT Accelerates Concussion Recovery
HBOT is a safe, non-invasive treatment that delivers 100% oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure. This process increases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the bloodstream, allowing oxygen to penetrate deeper into tissues, including areas with reduced blood flow due to injury. For concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), HBOT offers several key therapeutic benefits:
Reduces Brain Inflammation
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is effective in reducing brain inflammation, especially after a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Concussions can trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, which can lead to ongoing inflammation and damage to brain cells.
HBOT helps by:
- Lowering Cytokine Levels – Studies show that HBOT reduces levels of these harmful cytokines, helping calm the brain’s inflammatory response.
- Improving Mitochondrial Function – By delivering more oxygen to the brain, HBOT improves the function of mitochondria (the energy powerhouses of cells). This reduces oxidative stress and enhances energy production, supporting brain cell recovery.
- Promoting Healing – HBOT also helps promotes angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels, and repairs damaged tissue, aiding long-term recovery.
Promotes Tissue Repair and Neuroplasticity
HBOT also promotes tissue repair and neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new connections. The therapy stimulates the mobilization of stem cells, which are essential for repairing damaged brain tissue. Increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) associated with HBOT further support neurogenesis, aiding in the growth of new neurons and synapses. This combination of stem cell activity and neurogenesis accelerates the brain’s healing process and helps restore functionality.
Improves Cognitive Function
Cognitive function, which is often impaired after a concussion, can also improve with HBOT. The therapy enhances oxygenation to hypoxic (oxygen-deprived) areas of the brain, which improves cognitive performance, memory, and attention. Enhanced cerebral blood flow resulting from HBOT supports this recovery by ensuring that oxygen and nutrients reach affected brain regions more effectively. These improvements in brain perfusion have been correlated with measurable gains in cognitive function and overall quality of life in patients recovering from concussions.
By addressing inflammation, promoting tissue regeneration, and restoring cognitive function, HBOT offers a comprehensive approach to concussion recovery that targets the underlying physiological damage. By addressing the root cause of the injury, HBOT offers a more comprehensive and faster path to concussion recovery. This multifaceted approach allows for faster and more effective healing compared to treatments that only manage symptoms.
Our Full Suite of Recovery Services
In addition to HBOT, Extivita offers a range of therapies to support athletic recovery and overall wellness:
Nutritional IV Therapy
Replenishes essential vitamins and minerals, boosts hydration, and supports muscle recovery.
Infrared Sauna
Reduces inflammation, aids in detoxification, and promotes muscle relaxation and recovery.
PEMF Therapy
Enhances cellular repair, reduces pain, and improves circulation for faster healing.
Neurofeedback Therapy
Optimizes brain function, improves focus and cognitive performance, and supports concussion recovery.
These therapies work synergistically to provide a holistic recovery experience for athletes, addressing physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being.
Faster Athletic Recovery with Comprehensive Therapies
Reduce Extended Recovery Times
By combining HBOT and PEMF Therapy, Extivita offers a powerful solution for athletic recovery. Together, these therapies accelerate healing for injuries like sprains, muscle tears, and fractures. HBOT reduces brain inflammation and swelling while speeding up cell regeneration. PEMF Therapy complements this by enhancing circulation, reducing inflammation, and stimulating cellular repair — leading to shorter recovery times and improved healing outcomes.
Prevent Recurrent Injuries
Reinjury is a common setback for athletes. HBOT promotes enhanced oxygen delivery and cellular regeneration to strengthen muscles, ligaments, and joints. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Therapy further supports this by increasing circulation, reducing inflammation, and stimulating repair. Additionally, the Infrared Sauna aids in reducing inflammation, detoxifying the body, and promoting muscle relaxation. Together, these therapies help athletes maintain resilient tissues and reduce the risk of reinjury.
Access Cutting-Edge Therapy
Professional athletes rely on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for rapid recovery. Now, Extivita makes this advanced treatment — along with Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Therapy, Nutritional IV Therapy, Infrared Sauna, and Neurofeedback Therapy — available to athletes in the RDU area. Ensure your team benefits from comprehensive care designed to accelerate recovery, optimize performance, and prevent reinjury.
Comprehensive Solutions for Sport-Specific Recovery
Football Recovery
Common Injuries: Concussions, ligament sprains, fractures.
Extivita Benefits: Reduces concussion symptoms, accelerates healing of sprains and fractures, and supports brain function.
Baseball & Softball Recovery
Common Injuries: Rotator cuff strains, elbow injuries, concussions.
Extivita Benefits: Enhances joint and muscle recovery, supports brain healing post-concussion, and boosts energy levels.
Basketball Recovery
Common Injuries: Knee sprains, ankle injuries, muscle strains.
Extivita Benefits: Speeds up ligament and muscle repair, reduces inflammation, and aids performance maintenance.
Soccer Recovery
Common Injuries: Concussions, ACL injuries, ankle sprains.
Extivita Benefits: Improves cognitive function post-concussion, promotes ligament repair, and reduces downtime.
Track & Field Recovery
Common Injuries: Stress fractures, shin splints, muscle tears.
Extivita Benefits: Supports bone healing, accelerates muscle recovery, and reduces fatigue.
Hockey Recovery
Common Injuries: Concussions, shoulder separations, muscle strains, fractures.
Extivita Benefits: Reduces concussion symptoms, accelerates bone and muscle healing, alleviates inflammation, and enhances overall recovery and performance.
Why Athletic Trainers Trust Extivita
State-of-the-Art Multi-Person HBOT Chambers
Expert Technicians and Medical Staff
Convenient Location in RTP
Flexible Operating Hours
Comprehensive Recovery Services
Choose Extivita for Superior Athletic Recovery
Give your athletes the recovery advantage they need. Whether addressing concussions, injuries, or enhancing overall performance, Extivita’s therapies ensure they stay strong, healthy, and game-ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and how does it help athletes recover?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) delivers 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, allowing oxygen to dissolve more deeply into the bloodstream and reach tissues with reduced blood flow due to injury. For athletes, this accelerates healing of concussions, muscle tears, ligament sprains, and fractures by reducing inflammation, promoting cellular repair, and stimulating the growth of new blood vessels.
How does HBOT help with concussion recovery?
HBOT addresses concussion recovery at the physiological level — not just the symptoms. It reduces brain inflammation by lowering levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6), improves mitochondrial function and energy production in brain cells, and promotes angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth) to restore blood flow to injured areas. Standard rest-based protocols manage symptoms but do not repair the underlying brain injury; HBOT targets the root cause.
How common are sports concussions, and why is advanced treatment important?
Approximately 173,285 sports- and recreation-related concussions are diagnosed annually in adolescents ages 0–19. Without targeted treatment, concussions can lead to lasting cognitive, physical, and emotional problems. Standard return-to-play protocols alone are insufficient to fully heal the brain, making advanced therapies like HBOT essential for complete and lasting recovery.
What sports injuries does Extivita treat?
Extivita’s therapies are designed to support recovery across a wide range of sports and injury types:
- Football: Concussions, ligament sprains, fractures
- Baseball & Softball: Rotator cuff strains, elbow injuries, concussions
- Basketball: Knee sprains, ankle injuries, muscle strains
- Soccer: Concussions, ACL injuries, ankle sprains
- Track & Field: Stress fractures, shin splints, muscle tears
- Hockey: Concussions, shoulder separations, muscle strains, fractures
What other therapies does Extivita offer for athletic recovery beyond HBOT?
Extivita provides a full suite of recovery therapies that work synergistically:
- Nutritional IV Therapy — Replenishes vitamins and minerals, boosts hydration, and supports muscle recovery
- Infrared Sauna — Reduces inflammation, aids detoxification, and promotes muscle relaxation
- PEMF Therapy (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) — Enhances circulation, reduces pain, and stimulates cellular repair
- Neurofeedback Therapy — Optimizes brain function, improves focus, and supports concussion recovery
Can HBOT improve cognitive function after a concussion?
Yes. HBOT improves oxygenation to oxygen-deprived (hypoxic) areas of the brain, which has been shown to enhance cognitive performance, memory, and attention. Increased cerebral blood flow ensures that oxygen and nutrients reach affected regions more effectively, and these improvements correlate with measurable gains in cognitive function and quality of life during concussion recovery.
How does HBOT promote brain healing and neuroplasticity?
HBOT stimulates the mobilization of stem cells critical for repairing damaged brain tissue and boosts levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports neurogenesis — the growth of new neurons and synaptic connections. This combination of stem cell activity and neuroplasticity accelerates functional recovery after a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
How does combining HBOT and PEMF Therapy speed up athletic recovery?
Together, HBOT and PEMF Therapy create a powerful recovery synergy. HBOT reduces brain inflammation and swelling while accelerating cell regeneration. PEMF Therapy complements this by enhancing circulation, further reducing inflammation, and stimulating cellular repair — resulting in shorter overall recovery times and better healing outcomes for injuries like sprains, muscle tears, and fractures.
Can HBOT and complementary therapies help prevent sports reinjuries?
Yes. HBOT’s enhanced oxygen delivery and cellular regeneration strengthens muscles, ligaments, and joints over time. PEMF Therapy increases circulation and stimulates ongoing tissue repair, while Infrared Sauna reduces inflammation and promotes muscle relaxation. Together, these therapies help athletes build more resilient tissues, lowering the risk of recurring injuries.
Is HBOT only for professional athletes?
No. While professional athletes have long used HBOT for rapid recovery, Extivita makes this technology — along with PEMF, IV Therapy, Infrared Sauna, and Neurofeedback — accessible to athletes at all levels in the RDU/Research Triangle area. Any athlete looking to recover faster, perform better, or reduce reinjury risk can benefit.
Where is Extivita located and who is it right for?
Extivita is located in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, conveniently serving the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill areas. The clinic is suited for athletes of all ages and levels, athletic trainers seeking advanced recovery support for their teams, and anyone dealing with concussions or sports-related injuries. Flexible hours and multi-person HBOT chambers make it practical for team and individual use.
How do I get started with sports recovery treatment at Extivita?
You can call Extivita at 919-354-3775, email contact@extivita.org, or schedule a free wellness visit. Athletic trainers and medical professionals can also reach out directly to discuss team-based recovery partnerships.