HBOT & Rugby: What the Research Says About Recovery, Concussion & Performance
Rugby asks a lot of the body: repeated high-intensity effort, collisions, muscle damage, heavy training loads and, at times, concussion. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is increasingly being explored as a recovery tool — but what does the research actually show, and where is the evidence still developing?
HBOT Is Interesting for Rugby Recovery — But It Isn't a Shortcut
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood plasma while a person is breathing oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure. Researchers are studying whether this temporary increase in oxygen availability can influence biological processes involved in muscle recovery, tissue repair, inflammation and brain recovery.
For rugby players, the research is relevant because the sport combines several different recovery demands: exercise-induced muscle damage, soft-tissue and ligament injury, cumulative fatigue and the possibility of concussion.
Some studies and recent reviews suggest HBOT may influence certain markers of muscular and post-exercise recovery. There is also a small rugby-specific study suggesting a possible role following knee ligament injury. Research into persistent post-concussion symptoms has produced promising findings in some trials, but results across the wider evidence base remain mixed. There is currently no strong evidence that HBOT simply makes healthy rugby players faster, stronger or more powerful.
Recovery
Can HBOT influence muscle damage, soreness or recovery between demanding training sessions and matches?
Injury
Is there evidence that increased oxygen availability may support tissue-repair processes following sporting injury?
Concussion
What does research into HBOT and persistent post-concussion symptoms actually tell us?
Why Oxygen Is Relevant to Recovery
Oxygen is fundamental to cellular energy production and many of the processes involved in repairing damaged tissue. During HBOT, increased pressure allows substantially more oxygen to dissolve directly into the blood plasma than under normal atmospheric conditions.
That does not mean HBOT automatically repairs an injury. Oxygen still needs to be delivered through functioning circulation, and recovery depends on the injury, training load, rehabilitation, sleep, nutrition and many other factors.
Greater Oxygen Availability
HBOT temporarily increases the amount of oxygen carried in plasma, increasing oxygen availability to perfused tissues during treatment.
Cellular Signalling
Hyperbaric oxygen can influence oxygen-sensitive signalling pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative signalling and cellular responses.
Tissue Repair
Oxygen plays an important role in fibroblast activity, collagen production and other processes involved in normal tissue repair.
Blood-Vessel Formation
Repeated hyperbaric oxygen exposure has been studied for its effects on angiogenesis — the formation of new microvasculature in healing tissue.
What Does the Research Say About Muscle Recovery?
This is one of the most relevant areas for rugby. Repeated sprinting, acceleration, tackling and contact can contribute to muscular fatigue and exercise-induced muscle damage.
The evidence is not completely consistent, but several recent reviews give us a clearer picture than the older individual studies often quoted in HBOT marketing.
Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury & Soreness
A systematic review and meta-analysis examined 10 studies involving 299 participants. The authors reported evidence suggesting HBOT may accelerate recovery from exercise-induced muscle injury.
However, outcomes varied according to the measure being assessed, and the studies used different pressures, treatment schedules and exercise protocols.
HBOT as an Athletic Recovery Intervention
A more recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined HBOT specifically as an intervention for athletic recovery. The research suggests HBOT may affect some post-exercise recovery measures, but the evidence remains dependent on protocol, timing and the particular outcome being measured.
The Wider Musculoskeletal Evidence Is Still Mixed
A 2026 systematic review examining HBOT across musculoskeletal conditions found the strongest consistency in certain bone conditions. Evidence relating to exercise-induced muscle damage was limited, ligament evidence remained preliminary and tendon findings were inconclusive.
There Is One Particularly Relevant Rugby Study
One study looked specifically at professional and semi-professional Japanese rugby players with grade 2 medial collateral ligament injuries of the knee.
Thirty-two players were compared. Sixteen received HBOT during the acute phase and sixteen did not.
The researchers reported lower pain scores immediately after HBOT sessions and a shorter average return-to-play period in the HBOT group: approximately 31 days compared with approximately 42 days in the non-HBOT group.
The important limitation
This was a relatively small, non-randomised comparative study. It is interesting and directly relevant to rugby, but it does not prove that HBOT will shorten recovery time for every ligament injury or every rugby player.
What About HBOT After Concussion?
This needs much more careful wording than the original article. Concussion is a brain injury, and suspected concussion in rugby requires appropriate medical assessment and established return-to-play protocols.
Researchers have studied HBOT mainly in people with persistent post-concussion symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury — rather than as an immediate treatment that allows an athlete to return to play more quickly.
Some Studies Have Reported Improvements
A randomised controlled crossover study examining persistent post-concussion syndrome reported improvements in symptoms and cognitive measures following a course of HBOT.
View the study on PubMed →But the Evidence Is Not Uniform
Other controlled studies have produced less definitive findings, which is one reason HBOT for persistent post-concussion symptoms remains an area of ongoing research rather than an established universal concussion treatment.
View the research on PubMed →For rugby players, this distinction matters.
HBOT should never be used to bypass concussion protocols or medical clearance. A player with suspected concussion should be removed from play and managed according to appropriate medical and return-to-play guidance. HBOT may be explored as a supportive option in selected circumstances — particularly where symptoms persist — but not as a substitute for concussion care.
You can explore this topic in more detail on our Concussion & Brain Injury page →
The Research Doesn't Support That Simple Claim
This is where the original article went too far. Recovery and performance are related, but they are not interchangeable.
A double-blind randomised controlled trial in elite youth football players examined a single HBOT session following a 90-minute match. Researchers found no significant difference between HBOT and control groups in the measured biochemical or physical-performance outcomes.
The HBOT group did show a difference in one subjective recovery measure, but the study did not demonstrate a clear improvement in speed, jumping performance or muscle-damage markers.
So while HBOT may be explored as part of an athlete's wider recovery strategy, it would be misleading to describe it as a proven performance enhancer.
View the football recovery trial →What Does All of This Mean for a Rugby Player?
HBOT is best thought of as one possible component of a wider recovery programme — not a replacement for the fundamentals that determine recovery and performance.
Worth Exploring
HBOT may be considered where athletes are managing demanding training loads, certain injuries or longer-term recovery needs, particularly when regular access can be integrated sensibly into the wider programme.
Not a Shortcut
It does not replace rehabilitation, sleep, nutrition, load management, strength and conditioning, medical treatment or appropriate time away from sport.
Protocol Matters
Research uses very different chamber pressures, oxygen exposures, session durations and treatment schedules. That makes generic “one protocol suits everyone” claims difficult to justify.
Concussion Is Different
Persistent post-concussion symptoms are being researched, but HBOT must not be used to shorten or bypass recognised concussion return-to-play procedures.
Three Ways to Explore HBOT
Whether you want to experience a guided clinic session first or need more consistent access around training and recovery, ReWell offers clinic, rental and ownership pathways.
HBOT Should Fit the Athlete — Not the Other Way Around
Davitt Meenaghan is an IBUM-certified Hyperbaric Safety Officer. Rather than applying one generic programme to every athlete, ReWell considers why you are exploring HBOT, your training schedule, recovery needs, current injury or rehabilitation plan and how regular access would realistically fit around your week.
That is particularly important in sport because the research itself uses very different pressures, session frequencies and treatment durations. More treatment is not automatically better, and higher pressure is not automatically better.
Speak With DavittMore on HBOT, Sport & Recovery
Athletic Recovery & Performance →
References
- Moghadam N, et al. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Sports Musculoskeletal Injuries. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020. PubMed
- Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury and Soreness: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. PubMed
- Babel S, Bosco G, Camporesi E. Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Enhancing Athletic Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2026. PubMed
- Effects of HBOT on human musculoskeletal pathologies in clinical studies: a systematic review. 2026. PubMed
- Effects of HBOT on recovery acceleration in Japanese professional or semi-professional rugby players with grade 2 MCL injury. PubMed
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for mild traumatic brain injury persistent postconcussion syndrome: a randomised controlled trial. PubMed
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy versus placebo for post-concussion syndrome (HOT-POCS): a randomised, double-blinded controlled pilot study. PubMed
- Effects of HBOT on recovery after a football match in young players: a double-blind randomised controlled trial. PubMed
HBOT & Rugby FAQs
Can HBOT help rugby players recover after matches?
Research suggests HBOT may affect some measures associated with exercise recovery and muscle damage, but results are mixed and depend on the protocol and outcome being measured. It should be considered an adjunct to good recovery practices rather than a replacement for them.
Does HBOT reduce muscle soreness?
Not consistently. Some research has reported improvements in aspects of muscle recovery, but systematic reviews have not shown a reliable reduction in soreness across every study.
Can HBOT make me perform better on the pitch?
There is not sufficient evidence to describe HBOT as a proven athletic performance enhancer. Recovery studies and performance studies measure different outcomes, and improved recovery markers do not necessarily translate into faster running, greater power or better match performance.
Can rugby players use HBOT after concussion?
HBOT has been researched in people with persistent symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury, but the evidence remains mixed. Suspected concussion requires appropriate medical assessment and HBOT must never be used to bypass recognised return-to-play protocols.
How many HBOT sessions does an athlete need?
There is no universally established HBOT protocol for athletic recovery. Research protocols vary substantially, so frequency, pressure and duration should be considered according to the reason for treatment and the individual's circumstances.
Promising in Areas. Not Proven for Everything.
For rugby players, HBOT is most interesting as a potential recovery tool rather than a guaranteed performance enhancer.
Research into exercise-induced muscle damage, sporting injury and persistent post-concussion symptoms continues to develop. Some findings are encouraging, including a small rugby-specific ligament study, but the evidence is not strong enough to promise faster recovery for every athlete or every injury.
The best approach is to look at HBOT in context: what you are recovering from, what other rehabilitation or medical care is required, what the evidence actually supports and whether regular HBOT is appropriate for your individual circumstances.
Explore Whether HBOT Fits Your Recovery Programme
Speak with Davitt about your sport, training schedule, recovery goals and whether you're looking at clinic sessions, home rental or chamber ownership.