Postural stability before and after hyperbaric oxygen treatment

Objective – The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) on postural stability in healthy volunteers. The study was performed in accordance with treatment protocols for divers’ decompression sickness and carbon monoxide poisoning. Methods – Twenty‐one healthy male divers, aged 31 ± 6.88 years (mean ± SD), were tested with quantitative Romberg's test before and after HBO (90 min in a pressure chamber at an ambient pressure of 253 kPa, ∼15 m of sea water, breathing pure oxygen). The quantitative Romberg's test is a calculation of the average sway for 50 s. Results – No difference was found between sway before and after the HBO (P