Psychological Factors That Impact on Training, Performance and Recovery

Chapter 9 training management Figure 9.16: NSW rugby star Trent Barrett undergoing treatment in a multi-person hyperbaric chamber. Single-person chambers are also available. chamber (figure 9.16). The underlying theory behind this practice is rather simple. The athlete breathes in pure oxygen and this significantly increases the oxygen concentration levels of arterial blood. The increase in blood oxygen levels produces a subsequent increase in the oxygen diffusion gradient between the blood and muscle cells. Supposedly, the more oxygen that can be delivered to fatigued muscle cells the more rapid the recovery process. However, the scientific evidence of the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in promoting faster recovery rates after exercise is still rather limited and inconclusive. Some studies have indicated potential benefits, but others have reported little or no benefit. For example, a study presented in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (33:1; 36–42, 2001) concluded that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was not effective in the treatment of exercise-induced muscle damage in a group of twenty-one college athletes. However, these mixed results have not prevented many of the world’s big-name sporting clubs and teams from obtaining hyperbaric oxygen chambers for use by their players during competitive seasons.