A Promising Long COVID Therapy
Most people recover fully from COVID-19, but a meaningful number continue to live with lingering symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep and shortness of breath for months or even years. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy supports the body’s own repair processes, and it has become one of the most actively studied therapies for long COVID, with several controlled trials and long-term follow-up studies published since 2022.
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Long COVID can show up in many different ways and affect many systems of the body. The World Health Organization describes it as symptoms that continue or develop about three months after a COVID-19 infection and last at least two months, without another explanation. Common symptoms include fatigue, brain fog and trouble concentrating, shortness of breath, poor sleep, headaches, changes in taste or smell, widespread pain, anxiety and low mood. If you feel like “something isn’t quite right” since having COVID-19, you may be experiencing long COVID, and we’re happy to talk it through with you.
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Research protocols for long COVID have ranged from 10 to 40 sessions. The trials with the most encouraging and longest-lasting results used a course of 40 sessions, while shorter 10-session courses have shown more modest effects. We’ll recommend a plan based on your symptoms, how long you’ve had them and how you respond along the way.
Research on HBOT for Long COVID
Research on HBOT for long COVID has grown quickly. The strongest results so far come from a double-blind, sham-controlled trial whose benefits held up more than a year later, and newer studies from Europe are helping clarify who responds best and how many sessions are needed. Here is a balanced look at the most important studies, old and new.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves neurocognitive functions and symptoms of post-COVID condition: randomized controlled trial
Scientific Reports, 2022
Shani Zilberman-Itskovich, Merav Catalogna, Efrat Sasson, Karin Elman-Shina, Amir Hadanny, Erez Lang, Shachar Finci, Nir Polak, Gregory Fishlev, Calanit Korin, Ran Shorer, Yoav Parag, Marina Sova, and Shai Efrati
This randomized, sham-control, double blind trial evaluated the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT or HBO2 therapy) on post-COVID-19 patients with ongoing symptoms for at least 3 months after confirmed infection. Clinical outcomes were associated with significant improvement in brain MRI perfusion and microstructural changes in the supramarginal gyrus, left supplementary motor area, right insula, left frontal precentral gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and superior corona radiate. These results indicate that HBOT can induce neuroplasticity and improve cognitive, psychiatric, fatigue, sleep and pain symptoms of patients suffering from post-COVID-19 condition.
Long term outcomes of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in post covid condition: longitudinal follow-up of a randomized controlled trial
Scientific Reports, Feb. 2024
Amir Hadanny, Shani Zilberman-Itskovich, Merav Catalogna, et al.
This follow-up checked back in with patients from the 2022 randomized trial more than a year after they finished 40 HBOT sessions. Improvements in quality of life, sleep, mood and pain were maintained at the one-year mark, with effect sizes similar to those seen right after treatment. It is one of the first studies to show that the benefits of HBOT for long COVID can last.
Ten sessions of hyperbaric oxygen versus sham treatment in patients with long covid (HOT-LoCO): a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase II trial
BMJ Open, April 2025
Anders Kjellberg, et al.BMJ Open, April 2025
Anders Kjellberg, et al.
This Swedish double-blind trial compared a short course of 10 HBOT sessions with a sham treatment in 80 patients. At 13 weeks, the two groups did not differ on the main measure of physical function. At one year, however, more patients who received HBOT showed a meaningful improvement in physical function (about 66% vs. 41%). Alongside the other trials, this suggests that longer treatment courses may be needed for the fullest benefit.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for long COVID: a prospective registry
Scientific Reports, 2025
J. van Berkel, et al.
This Dutch registry followed long COVID patients treated with HBOT in everyday clinical practice. Three months after treatment, 56–63% had a clinically meaningful improvement in mental or physical quality of life, with the biggest gains in cognitive symptoms such as concentration and memory. A smaller group (13–19%) felt worse, a reminder that thoughtful, individualized care and close follow-up matter.