Athletic Recovery & Performance
Stuck on a Performance Plateau You Can't Train Through?
Whether you're dealing with lingering soreness, a demanding training schedule or recovery from injury, explore how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may form part of your approach to recovery and performance — personally guided, in our Kildare clinic or from your own home.
Does This Sound Familiar?
When Recovery Starts Holding Back Your Performance
Training harder isn't always the answer. Heavy training loads, competition, injury and inadequate recovery can affect how you feel and perform — from persistent soreness and fatigue to sleep, focus and readiness to train.
The Science
How HBOT May Support Healing & Recovery
After surgery or injury, the body needs to repair damaged tissue, manage inflammation, build new tissue and restore normal function. All of these processes require energy — and oxygen plays a fundamental role in many stages of healing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy significantly increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood plasma. Under pressure, this oxygen can reach tissues at concentrations that aren't possible under normal atmospheric conditions, temporarily increasing the oxygen available to areas involved in healing and repair. This increased oxygen availability may support several of the biological processes the body relies on during recovery.
Supports Tissue Repair
Oxygen is essential to normal cellular activity and collagen production — an important part of rebuilding skin, connective tissue and other structures following surgery or injury.
Supports Wound-Healing Processes
Adequate tissue oxygen is important during wound healing. HBOT increases oxygen availability during treatment and is already used medically in certain recognised types of difficult-to-heal wounds and compromised tissue.
May Help Regulate Inflammation & Swelling
HBOT may influence inflammatory responses and mechanisms involved in tissue swelling, potentially supporting the environment in which injured tissue recovers.
Supports New Blood Vessel Formation
Oxygen plays a role in angiogenesis — the formation of new blood vessels. Repeated hyperbaric oxygen exposure can influence biological processes involved in developing new microcirculation in healing tissue.
The Research
What Does the Research Say?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been studied in relation to exercise recovery, muscle damage and athletic performance. Some research has reported potential benefits in areas such as recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage and post-exercise metabolic recovery, while other studies have found limited or no improvement in soreness or performance measures. The evidence is still developing, and results appear to vary according to the HBOT protocol, timing and outcome being measured.
2026 Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis · 299 Participants
Researchers analysed 10 studies involving 299 participants, including college students and elite athletes, to examine the effects of HBOT following exercise-induced muscle injury. The findings suggested potential benefits for some markers of muscle recovery following exercise-induced damage. However, the analysis did not find a significant overall improvement in muscle soreness.
Important limitation: The studies used different HBOT pressures, treatment durations and exercise protocols, making it difficult to establish an optimal approach for athletic recovery.
View the Research on PubMed →2026 Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis · Athletic Recovery
Researchers reviewed studies examining HBOT as a recovery intervention following exercise. HBOT was associated with lower post-recovery blood lactate levels, suggesting a possible effect on metabolic recovery. However, the analysis found limited benefit for short-term measures of power output and force production.
Important limitation: The included studies used different HBOT protocols and recovery measures, and the researchers highlighted the need for more standardised research.
View the Research on PubMed →2021 Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis · 166 Participants
This review examined 10 studies involving 166 physically active adults and looked at HBOT used before, during and after exercise. Overall, HBOT before exercise did not significantly improve exercise performance, while post-exercise HBOT did not produce a statistically significant overall improvement in recovery. Some individual findings suggested potential benefits under particular conditions, but the researchers advised that the practical relevance should be interpreted cautiously.
Important limitation: Participant numbers were relatively small and protocols differed considerably between studies.
View the Research on PubMed →What does this mean for athletes? Current research suggests HBOT may have a role as an adjunct to athletic recovery, but the evidence does not support treating it as a guaranteed way to improve performance or accelerate every aspect of recovery. That's why ReWell approaches HBOT as one part of a wider, individually guided recovery programme.
A 2026 systematic review of 19 studies involving 612 patients across musculoskeletal conditions found limited evidence for HBOT in exercise-induced muscle damage/DOMS, more promising results for certain bone conditions, and inconclusive findings for tendon injuries. View the 2026 Musculoskeletal Review on PubMed →
A 2025 systematic review of 13 studies and 693 participants examined ligament and tendon injuries specifically. View the Ligament & Tendon Review on PubMed →
GAA Recovery
Playing GAA and Looking for More Recovery Support?
Explore our dedicated guide to HBOT for GAA players — from demanding training schedules to hamstring, quad and other soft-tissue injuries.
Your Guide
Your HBOT Programme, Guided by Davitt Meenaghan
Davitt is an IBUM-certified Hyperbaric Safety Officer. He founded ReWell after seeing too many people buying or renting chambers with little guidance on how to use them appropriately.
For athletes, that guidance means considering your training schedule, recovery needs, intended use and goals when planning how HBOT fits into your wider routine. Davitt guides session frequency, pressure and pacing and reviews your programme as you go — so your use of HBOT is structured around you rather than a generic one-size-fits-all approach.
IBUM
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32
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The Process
How Your ReWell Programme Works
From first call to first session — here's what to expect, whichever path you choose.
Discovery Call
Tell us about your sport, training schedule, recovery goals and any injuries you're managing. Davitt will talk through whether HBOT may be appropriate for what you're hoping to achieve and recommend a starting point — clinic, rental or ownership.
Your Personalised Protocol
Based on your circumstances and goals, we build a structured programme around your training and recovery schedule — including session frequency, pressure and pacing.
Clinic Visit or Home Delivery
Book your first clinic session in Kildare, or — for rentals — we deliver and install your chamber, with a full safety walkthrough so you feel confident from session one.
Ongoing Support
We remain available throughout your programme for questions, adjustments and ongoing guidance — by phone and WhatsApp.
Why ReWell
Why People Choose ReWell
There are other places to access HBOT in Ireland. Here's what makes the ReWell experience different.
Personally Guided
Led by Davitt Meenaghan, IBUM-certified Hyperbaric Safety Officer. Your HBOT programme is guided around your circumstances, goals and intended use.
Nationwide Access
Clinic sessions in Kildare, home rentals delivered and installed across all 32 counties, and flexible ownership options. Wherever you're based — we come to you.
Ongoing Support
We don't just deliver a chamber and disappear. From your first conversation through to ongoing use, the ReWell team remains available for guidance and support.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How does HBOT support athletic recovery?
HBOT increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood plasma. Researchers are studying whether this increased oxygen availability may influence processes involved in exercise recovery, inflammation, fatigue, muscle damage and tissue repair. Some studies have reported potential benefits, while results across the wider evidence base remain mixed.
Which sports injuries are being studied in relation to HBOT?
Research has explored HBOT in relation to different forms of soft-tissue and musculoskeletal injury, as well as post-surgical recovery. Evidence varies considerably according to the type of injury and HBOT protocol. Whether HBOT is appropriate will also depend on the nature and severity of an injury and it should form part of a wider rehabilitation plan where required.
How many HBOT sessions do athletes need?
There is no universally established HBOT programme for athletic recovery. Frequency and duration depend on your goals, training schedule, whether injury is involved and how you respond. ReWell therefore builds your programme around your individual circumstances rather than applying the same schedule to every athlete.
Can HBOT prevent sports injuries?
There isn't sufficient evidence to say that HBOT prevents sports injuries. Injury risk is influenced by many factors, including training load, conditioning, technique, sleep, nutrition and previous injury. HBOT is better considered as a potential recovery tool rather than an injury-prevention treatment.
Is HBOT safe for athletes?
HBOT is generally well tolerated, but it isn't suitable for everyone. Possible side effects can include pressure-related ear or sinus discomfort, temporary vision changes and, less commonly, other complications. Your health history and suitability should be reviewed before starting, with appropriate guidance throughout your programme.
Conditions & Research
Explore HBOT by Area of Interest
Explore the research behind HBOT and learn how it may support different areas of health, recovery and performance.
What Clients Are Saying
Real experiences from people who have used ReWell for clinic sessions, home HBOT rental and ongoing support.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Ready to Explore HBOT for Your Recovery?
Speak directly with Davitt Meenaghan and we'll help you determine the most suitable pathway for your training and recovery goals — sessions, home rental, or chamber ownership. No pressure, no obligation. Just an honest conversation.