Cutting edge technology gets players back on their feet fast

August 12 - One of the most important aspects of medically managing a team of professional rugby players is getting them back on to the field in the shortest time possible after injury, says Dr Rob Collins, the Golden Lions Rugby Union Senior Team Physician.

“We try to accelerate recovery wherever possible and use various strategies to achieve this,” he adds. “Obviously players need to rest where appropriate and use techniques like icing and compression, but we have taken things one step further by using interventions like platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) and hyperbaric medicine, which really help to speed up recovery time.

Hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure. It works because it drastically increases partial pressure of oxygen in the tissues of the body at a much higher level than is possible while breathing pure oxygen at normobaric conditions (ie. at normal atmospheric pressure).

That increased pressure means that the blood’s ability to transport oxygen is increased, and it is thought that more oxygen to the injured area facilitates more rapid healing.

To date the MTN Golden Lions players have received more than 100 treatment sessions at Milpark Hyperbaric Medicine Centre and the results have often been incredible. Recovery times for some muscular and ligament injuries have been significantly reduced.

Since the beginning of this year, the Milpark Hyperbaric Medicine Centre has been the GLRU’s preferred service provider for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Players who require treatment lie in the chamber for an hour and are then ‘dived’ to a depth of 14m (ie. twice atmospheric pressure). Sometimes they undergo the procedure twice a day with an interval of four hours between each treatment.

“One of the main benefits we’re seeing is that players who undergo hyperbarics [as part of an accelerated recovery programme] are not suffering an immediate recurrence of the same injury,” says Dr Mark Botha, Medical Director of the Milpark Hyperbaric Medicine Centre. “If you look at the MTN Golden Lions team who played the Bulls this past weekend, 11 of the players have been in the chamber at one time or another.”

“It’s not a miracle cure by itself,” stresses Dr Collins. “It’s part of a holistic programme of recovery. Having said that, however, the results speak for themselves – we are seeing players returning to the field much sooner than they would have without hyperbarics.”

The Golden Lions Rugby Union is proud to be associated with Milpark Hyperbaric Medicine Centre, and would like to thank them for their continuous and invaluable support.