New oxygen therapy loved by footballers is now available in Manchester

Manchester has been at the forefront of many game-changing innovations over the centuries. As such, the city is an obvious destination for Oxify’s third UK-based Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HbOT) centre.

The therapy involves delivering almost pure oxygen in a special chamber. The non-invasive therapy is designed to help relieve injuries and ailments. Only recently, however, has it become available as a cosmetic and therapeutic treatment.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is ideal for treating sports injuries, muscle contusions and ankle sprains, as well as symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, Fibromyalgia, dementia, long Covid, stroke and migraine. The therapy also delivers skin rejuvenation benefits, improving elasticity and helping to reduce cellulite and wrinkles, as well as increasing feelings of well being.

Famous fans include Marcus Rashford, Mohamed Salah, Neymar da Silva Santos, Michael Phelps, and LeBron James.

The science bit

There are two parts to the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HbOT) treatments. These are increased purity of Oxygen and higher than normal pressure. The air we normally breathe contains 21% oxygen, during a HbOT session, you breathe 95% pure oxygen.

The chamber is pressurised to 1.45 ATA, which is around one and a half times the pressure we usually experience in our everyday lives. The unique HbOT combination of pure oxygen in a pressurised environment has been proven to promote healing.

What we thought

I went along from Manchester Wire to experience the therapy. I’ve recently been feeling fatigued, with lower than usual mood. As well as looking after my family, I love running and doing yoga but I often feel burnt out. I’m also not a big fan of enclosed spaces. However, the team quickly put me at ease and the session was much more enjoyable than I expected.

The Oxify therapy takes place in a relaxed and quiet room. You don’t have to wear any special clothes; I just wore a t-shirt and leggings and the session lasts for around 60 minutes. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing and the temperature was perfect. While I was wearing an oxygen mask, I barely noticed this at all and took the opportunity to read and chill out.

I didn’t feel anything during the treatment, but afterwards my skin felt great. I felt more mentally alert too and I would definitely go back. I particularly like the fact that the therapy works on a deep level, increasing the body’s ability to self-repair. This feels like the key benefit to me and I would recommend it to my sporty friends and to those with Long Covid.

The therapy is well established too and was first recorded in use in 1662, when the British physician Nathaniel Henshaw built the first pressurised room to treat pulmonary and digestive conditions. Later it was used to treat the effects of diving, while more recently, a wealth of reports have been published on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy’s  far-reaching benefits, including working on Long Covid. More can be found on its benefits here.