American hyperbaric therapy in the health care of players
The USMNT uses hyperbaric therapy during the 2026 World Cup for regenerative purposes, and a journalist from "The Athletic" decided to test its effects on himself.
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. - Stepping into a hyperbaric chamber is an unusual experience for the average person. You may feel a little intimidated as you approach the closed, glass tube containing the bed, with an oxygen mask on your face and a clock above the machine set to the time. But there is a friendly person guiding you, and on the other side of the glass there is a TV set to calm your nerves. You lie down on the bed and in some ways you feel like you're in a more comfortable version of an MRI. You can also, with a slightly more developed imagination, feel like an astronaut. In any case, it's not a normal part of everyday life - unless you're a world-class athlete. It is then an increasingly used method of regeneration, using technological innovations and all available resources to support performance. Hyperbaric chambers are popular among athletes who break age limits, such as Tom Brady, LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo. At this World Cup, the US team is using hyperbaric therapy, and the camp site in California has the same equipment. "If an athlete has any injuries, their recovery time will be shortened with this therapy," says Carol Manning, founder and CEO of Hyperbaric Lab. "At least by 30-35%, they will heal faster. If it is just reconstruction, regeneration, they will have 50% better endurance and faster reactions. I would say that you really need to do it at least three times a week if you are a professional athlete". \n \n \nSEE ALSO: \n \n \nLaser and hyperbaric chambers: a visit to the USMNT's high-tech recovery zone \n \n \nTom Bogert \n \n \nManning, who runs her facility just a few steps from the national team camp, hosted one of the USMNT midfielders, Sebastian Berhalter, and another player during the training camp. Not only professional athletes come to her facility, but also amateurs, including young people and university players. The goal of hyperbaric therapy is to maximize blood saturation with oxygen. The user blows pure oxygen into the mask in a closed chamber under pressure, which allows it to be delivered directly to infected or injured places in the body, supporting their regeneration. For athletes, this allows for a significant acceleration of recovery after exercise (such as after a match) and after injuries. In the Hyperbaric Lab, in addition to hyperbaric therapy, laser light therapy is also used. "Laser therapy is completely different than heat, that is, cold, it does not cause any thermal reactions in the body. These are lasers that are not thermal at all, which stimulate cells to act, to produce energy. Athletes are always looking for ways to increase the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in their bodies, and both laser and hyperbaric therapy increase this production," says Dr. Kirk Gair, a specialist in non-thermal laser therapy. "Especially in football, you need stamina. When you are in a tournament and have many matches in a row, you need better regeneration." \n \n Last week, before the last group match of the US national team against Turkey, I decided to test the operation of this modern equipment inHyperbaric Lab and get an explanation about the benefits of its use and laser light therapy. When I entered the hyperbaric chamber, there were mirrors on the walls and a TV on the other side of the glass. I was asked to give up all modern entertainment for an hour, so I couldn't use my phone or read. To my surprise, the hour passed very quickly. Hyperbaric therapy, even though it is my first such experience, can be described as pleasant. After putting the mask on and after my ears opened (something like when a plane takes off), I only felt a slight headache, but this feeling quickly passed. After the procedure, I ran a short distance to test my fitness and I must admit that I felt better than when I had run the day before. \n \n Dr. Gair compares laser therapy to light therapy, which is used on jaundiced newborns, and to UV light, which helps people produce vitamin D. It uses lasers in different colors — purple, green and red — that trigger different reactions in the body. "It's amazing, there are studies that show it works both for training and recovery," says Dr. Gair. "The basic things that you get with this therapy are increased stem cell production, increased energy production, decreased inflammation and increased blood flow." Dr. Gair uses laser therapy for a variety of purposes with athletes, but one he is particularly proud of is increasing the reflexes of goalkeepers. He asks goalkeepers to follow his finger as he moves it in different directions and then uses laser therapy to improve their reflexes. \n \n \nSEE ALSO: \n \n \nUSMNT in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals? Experts' predictions \n \n \nBiało-Czerwoni Editorial Team \n \n \nWhen the US national team enters the knockout phase of the World Cup and will play matches every two days, hyperbaric and laser therapy will be used by the players much more often. "I hope that national team players will come to me when they are in my area, which is Orange County, because during the 2026 training camp this will be their base,' said Manning. "And I hope that when the U.S. national team wins the World Championship, they will bring the trophy and show it to me at my facility."
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