Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens Used a Hyperbaric Chamber to Heal a Toe Injury

Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens Used a Hyperbaric Chamber to Heal a Toe Injury

Stamped “P.M.,” the bag is filled with multicolored vitamin supplements. Before noon, the iconic Baltimore Ravens linebacker already had consumed a protein shake, egg whites, an apple, 2 gallons of water and a similar bag of “A.M.” supplements. Lewis, 36, is explaining why he believes he has survived 16 NFL seasons — and still is playing at a Pro Bowl level as the Ravens prepare for Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans— in such a physically demanding sport. In addition to a relentless year-round conditioning regimen and aggressive therapy for the toe injury that sidelined him for four games this season, Lewis estimates he swallows 50 pills a day. Then the veteran, hardly ready to declare this playoff run a prelude to retirement, reaches into the briefcase to show off his afternoon snack — another apple. “I’m watching these guys, with their cheeseburgers and stuff,” he says. “And you’re going to compete against me? Even if you’re younger and faster, your fuel won’t let you beat me.” His obsession for healthy eating is, well, notorious in the Ravens locker room. “His diet is so ridiculous, even the people around him have to adjust,” linebacker Terrell Suggs says. “It’s crazy. Last week, I’m eating a bag of chips, and he throws ‘em away.” Lewis is a fish-and-vegetable man who hasn’t touched pork in 12 years and has eaten beef twice during that span. He also doesn’t drink soda or eat bread or sugar — except for scant exceptions. Like his cheat snacks, Twizzlers and Gummy Bears. “To keep living life,” he says. Conversations with Lewis — a passionate, spiritual man and maybe the greatest middle linebacker ever — can branch into myriad directions that offer a glimpse into layers of his life beyond the game that made him famous. To get the latest sports news from USA TODAY, including game results, columns and features, follow us on Twitter at @USATODAYSports. He not only details the lengths he has gone to heal his toe and contemplates his gridiron mortality, but he also reveals a profound concern that generational curses of poor diet and exercise habits threaten the health of family members. Lewis is an unmarried father of six, and his relationships include people who have fallen on hard times. A boy who was the lone survivor when his mother drove her van into a river last spring. A 76-year-old cancer patient. A teenager with bone cancer — for whom he is paying medical expenses. “It goes back to the idea that, ‘To much is given, much is required,’ ” Lewis says. “With all the things I’ve been through, the No. 1 thing that I’ve learned is that we’re supposed to help people through this world.” He reflects on a big influence, Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe. And a not-so-big influence, the father who suddenly appeared three years ago. As he sat at his locker, Lewis, who grew up in Lakeland, Fla., mimicked the gravelly voice of his late maternal grandfather, Gillis McKinney. “He used to have this old car, and he’d say,” Lewis said, changing his voice for effect, ” ‘Y’all kids keep getting all these new cars so quick, but I’ll keep a car with 500,000 miles on it. You’ve got to take care of the engine.’ “It’s the same thing with your body. If you clean your body out so that it is not fighting against you, you rest better, think better and you’re always light on your feet. I haven’t had as much as a cold in three years. Bottom line, your body is a temple, and you have to treat it that way. That’s how God designed it.” Tending to toe injury Yet on the field, some setbacks just happen. Lewis had started 57 consecutive games, dating to 2008, when he was sidelined in November. Although the injury was widely reported as turf toe, which generally involves the big toe, Lewis said the injured area was actually near the small toe on his right foot. “I tore a piece of my plantar plate,” he says. Says Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome: “A toe took out Jack Lambert, Deion Sanders and Jonathan Ogden— two Hall of Famers and another who will probably be one. You hear about ACLs and how serious of an injury it can be. People don’t realize how much the toe affects the ability to push off, change direction and accelerate.” Did Lewis — who still had a team-high 95 tackles this season — see the injury as a sign that his body is succumbing to wear and tear? “I don’t do that,” he says. “That cheats what warriors like me really go through on a daily basis to keep our bodies going full speed, running into people. If you’re trying to play a long time, it takes 24-hour treatment. There’s no break.” Lewis, who led the Ravens with 95 tackles despite the games missed, was bombarded with remedies from fans. One woman urged him to drink a special cherry juice. Another suggested a particular ointment. He also was told that he could alleviate pain by tying his shoes differently. In rehabbing the toe, with the tissue needing to scar, Lewis bought a hyperbaric chamber that increases oxygen flow. He had acupuncture treatment. He’s using a laser light that accelerates regeneration of tissue. “If you walked in my house, you’d wonder, ‘What is going on with this?’ ” Lewis says. “It’s like a space lab over there.” Retirement? Not now Perhaps this will be the final shot at another championship for the two-time NFL defensive player of the year (2000, 2003) and Super Bowl XXXV MVP. If the Ravens win it all, would Lewis retire in a blaze of glory? “Ask Haloti (Ngata) and Sizzle,” Lewis says of the all-pro teammates. Suggs, aka T-Sizzle, was adamant: “I can’t let him retire. We don’t even want him to come off the field.” Suggs recalled a 2009 game in which Lewis showed him his gruesome right hand — the bone of a finger broke through the skin — as the Cincinnati Bengals were driving. “I said, ‘Let’s get through this series, and you can deal with that on the sideline,’ ” Suggs said. “That’s how valuable he is. He’s still outplaying guys in their 20s. When it’s time to walk away, he’ll know. But it’s still not his time.” Lewis figures he wouldn’t still be playing if not for Sharpe, a central figure during a turning point in his life. When Lewis was on trial in Atlanta in 2000 after the deaths of two men during a brawl following a post-Super Bowl party (murder charges were dropped; he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor obstruction of justice charge), he lived in Sharpe’s basement. Sharpe, who had signed with the Ravens as a free agent that spring, would pick up Lewis each day after court and work out with him. The houseguest became fascinated by Sharpe’s strict diet. “I give him a lot of credit for trying something that you’ve never done, which takes you out of your element,” Sharpe said this week. “As the years progressed, he got better at it.” The diet only scratched the surface of Sharpe’s impact on Lewis, who formed a bond with the tight end and safety Rod Woodson, who had joined the team in 1998. “When he was going though his ordeal, it was very tough on him,” Sharpe said. “But he had always been around people who told him what he wanted to hear. Rod and I, we would tell him what he needed to hear. That’s why he respected us.” Sharpe said he understood how Lewis, who grew up poor, was tempted to indulge in a lavish lifestyle after striking it rich as a pro athlete. “You can do all these things because you’ve got the money, but it might not be the best thing to maximize your talent,” Sharpe says. “I told him, ‘You don’t have to be at every party coming to a city near you.You don’t have to go to every all-star game.It’s OK to pass.’

An oxygen treatment normally given to injured footballers could help relieve disruptive side-effects that pelvic cancer

Posted 24th August 2009

Medical News Today - An oxygen treatment normally given to injured footballers could help relieve disruptive side-effects that pelvic cancer patients often suffer. The first patient in The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 's new trial of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is being treated today at a Greater London hospital.

The trial aims to help patients who have received radiotherapy treatment for pelvic cancer - including cancer of the cervix, ovary, prostate, testis, rectum, bladder and uterus - and are left with unpleasant side-effects including diarrhoea, stomach cramps and frequent bowel movements.

Most patients return to normal within a few weeks of stopping radiotherapy treatment, but about 30 per cent develop long-term bowel problems that can interfere with their daily activities and impact on their quality of life. At the moment there is no cure for these symptoms and, as more people are treated for pelvic cancer, an increasing number of people are affected.

A recent small study found evidence that hyperbaric (high pressure) oxygen therapy may be able to improve these side-effects. Now, the ICR and The Royal Marsden are conducting a large Phase III trial to properly test whether this therapy works in patients who have been suffering side-effects for at least a year.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is commonly used to treat scuba divers who suffer the bends (decompression sickness), and it is also given to elite footballers after an injury to help them heal more quickly. The therapy involves the patient sitting in a sealed chamber and breathing 100 per cent oxygen (with periodic breaks) while the air pressure around them is gradually increased. The treatment lasts about 30 minutes and after it finishes the air in the chamber is slowly returned to normal pressure before the patient leaves.

The HOT II trial will take place at specialist centres in Cardiff, Chichester, Great Yarmouth, Hull, Plymouth, North London and the Wirral, co-ordinated by the ICR and The Royal Marsden.

A 71-year-old woman will today become the first patient treated under the new trial, by Hyperbaric Consultant Dr Mihaela Ignatescu at a chamber at Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust in Leytonstone.

The patient, who was given radiotherapy in 1996 after cancer spread from her ovaries to her colon and still suffers chronic stomach cramps and violent uncontrollable diarrhoea, says: "I was delighted to be accepted into this trial to try and improve my quality of life. I consider myself very privileged to take part in the trial and in this way help in the research to hopefully find a cure for pelvic radiation side-effects in the near future."

The trial is randomised and double-blind, which means the patients will be randomly split into two groups and two-thirds will receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy while one-third will be given normal air. Neither patients nor doctors will know to which group they have been assigned. The treatment is given five days a week for eight weeks.

Professor of Clinical Oncology at the ICR and The Royal Marsden John Yarnold, who is jointly leading the trial with Royal Marsden Consultant Gastroenterologist in Pelvic Radiation Disease Dr Jervoise Andreyev, says: "It's very difficult for patients who have already suffered through cancer and radiotherapy treatment to be left with these debilitating side-effects. We hope to answer once and for all whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy will improve their quality of life."

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Holmes is only 25, but he, too, owns a portable chamber

Posted 3rd November 2009

Beaver County Times - PITTSBURGH — For as long as he’s been with the Steelers, Santonio Holmes has been soaking in whatever advice Hines Ward gives him — even when it comes to sleeping in a strange contraption.
Ward, the Steelers’ all-time leading receiver, is an advocate of hyperbaric therapy.

That’s why he owns and regularly uses a hyperbaric chamber.

“I call it my fountain of youth,” said Ward, a 33-year-old veteran who’s in his 12th pro season. Holmes is only 25, but he, too, owns a portable chamber. “It’s the same exact one Hines has,” Holmes said.
Hyperbaric therapy is the medical use of oxygen at a higher level than normal atmospheric pressure. Advocates claim that it enhances athletic performance, speeds up recovery time from injuries, relieves fatigue, and, even as Ward suggested, has anti-aging benefits.
While the use of hyperbaric chambers isn’t widespread, a number of famous athletes past and present have owned or do own one now. They include former Penguins star and owner Mario Lemieux, current Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and former heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield.
NFL players such as New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens and Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook are also believers in hyperbaric therapy.
“They’re very expensive, but my body is my investment,” Ward said. “It’s a well-worth-it investment.”
A portable hyperbaric chamber — a tube-shaped device that’s roughly 93 inches long, 32 inches wide and 22 inches in diameter — can cost between $10,000 and $20,000.
“Just to help heal up the body throughout the year,” Holmes said when asked why he believes in hyperbaric therapy. “The massages can’t take care of everything … the ice and stim (electronic stimulation) can’t take care of everything … so I figure the extra oxygen can help heal the bruised areas a lot faster.”
“Santonio, he’s young. But at an early age, I really tried to stress to him to take care of his body,” Ward said. “When you get those little bruises and nicks during the season, take care of them … so he purchased one.”
With the Steelers playing their next game in Denver, Ward and Holmes are also using their hyperbaric chambers to help them get used to the rarified Rocky Mountain air.
“I’ll be in it every day this week,” Ward said.
“I’ll definitely spend the rest of this week sleeping in it and spending a little time in it,” added Holmes.

Lance Armstrong has used a portable hyperbaric oxygen chamber

Posted 9th April 2010

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who recently made a comeback and placed third in another Tour, has used a portable hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Many cyclists train at higher altitudes, where there is less oxygen, so that the body feels like it has more than enough at regular elevations. Sometimes this makes an athlete's lung capacity greater, as well as simply enabling the red blood cells to carry more oxygen. Other athletes get blood taken out of their body and train with this deficiency, so that the body is used to working with less blood and oxygen, then get the blood replaced before a race or game. There are medications that replenish the oxygen supply in the blood, but these drugs are banned from most events, and hyperbaric chambers remain one of the most effective and well-regarded methods for athletic training.

Woods has said he has received oxygen treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.

Posted 25th May 2010

The main thing that most people know about Tiger Woods' current home in Orlando is that there's a fire hydrant nearby. But several details have surfaced about Woods' plans for his 12-acre property nearby in Jupiter Island.
Like building a room devoted to oxygen therapy.
Through his attorney, Woods has filed notices of commencement paperwork to begin work on a practice golf course, a series of pools and the oxygen therapy room for his 9,000-square-foot home, according to TCPalm.com
Such rooms typically feature a hyperbaric chamber, a steel tank that delivers pure oxygen to the body in high atmospheric pressure. Supposedly, Michael Jackson slept in one in hopes of looking younger, and they are credited with helping ward off arthritis, allergies and fatigue. Athletes sometimes use them to help recover from injuries.
Woods has said he has received oxygen treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.
TCPalm.com says the oxygen room and practice course might take a year to complete. The report added that the paperwork offers no indication of who will live at the house, as Woods sorts out his private life.
The practice course is to be built by Georgia-based Medalist Golf, Inc., which designed the exclusive McArthur Golf Course in Hobe Sound, Fla. Neighbors include Celine Dion, who has a 500,000-gallon waterway system.

Marcus Zukanovic make a welcome return

Posted 16th October 2010

Moonee Valley Leader - DRIVE and determination have seen motor racing’s Marcus Zukanovic make a welcome return to the sport he loves after a major high-speed collision last year.
The 30-year-old, born and raised in Sunshine and now living in Niddrie, said it had been “a long road” to recovery after the brakes on his V8 Supercar failed at about 200km/h during a test run in March 2009.
Zukanovic broke his collarbone, two ribs and a leg in two places. But after extensive medical treatments including 150 hours in a hyperbaric chamber and surgery to insert a steel rod in his leg, he is back in the driver’s seat - most recently racing at Phillip Island last month with Greg Murphy Racing.
Zukanovic, who has been racing cars for 10 years while working at his family’s business Action Motor Industries in Sunshine, admitted to some nerves when he first stepped back in a racing car about nine months after his crash.
“My first drive back in the car after the accident ... the first five laps were very, very shaky,” he said. “(But) as the day rolled on, I just got more and more confident.”
Zukanovic has an impressive racing history, winning both the Commodore Cup and V8 Ute racing categories in 2006 and joining racing legend Mark Skaife as the only other driver to win two separate Australian titles in the same year.
He was also named the Confederation of Australian Motor Sports’ 2006 personality of the year. He said the plan now was to race at Bathurst this month - hopefully in the main race with Greg Murphy Racing, but definitely in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series.
As well as Action Motor Industries, Zukanovic’s sponsors have included Midway Mini-Mix Concrete and Garden Supplies in Sunshine and Re-Car Truck Repairs in Mulgrave.

WOLVES midfielder Dave Edwards

Posted 29th November 2010

Sunday Mercury - WOLVES midfielder Dave Edwards is feeling like a deep sea scuba diver as he speeds up his recovery from injury by turning to revolutionary technology.
The Welsh international midfielder is undergoing Hyperbaric oxygen therapy which means sitting in a tank whilst oxygen is pumped in at a higher than atmospheric pressure.
The system is already having a major impact in healing his torn thigh muscle and could mean him returning in time for key derbies against Blues and Albion.
“It was an idea that the physios brought to me which can only help me recover,” he said.
“I thought it was a good option to take.
“It used to be just a little bit of ice spray and that would do. The equipment our medical staff have here now is absolutely second to none.”
Edwards sits in the chamber, based in Tettenhall, every day for 90 minutes.
“I put on a mask and get oxygen pumped into my body to help the red blood cells,” he revealed.
“The chamber pressurises the air to make you feel as if you are 33 feet under water. At that depth apparently the blood cells can help the muscle recover quicker.
“It can get a bit boring as there’s no electrical equipment allowed. So I take in a newspaper to try and pass the time.”
Edwards injured his thigh in the opening minutes of the Premier League clash against Arsenal 18 days ago.
“I went for a scan and there was quite a big tear on my quadricep,” he said.
“The doctor said it was usually about six weeks for a tear like that to heal, so obviously with the chamber and the treatment I’m getting from the physios I am looking to reduce that and aim more for three to four weeks.
“I definitely feel an improvement. I’m starting to reap the benefits. It helps when I do my weights, you don’t feel as stiff the next day. It helps the body recover.
“I’ve been getting scanned every three or four days and you can see the tear gradually disappearing.”
It’s not the first time Edwards has resorted to extreme measures to get fit. During a pre-season tour to Ireland he took ice therapy along with Michael Kightly.
“We went into three rooms which were decreasing in temperature. They were very, very cold!” he recalls.
“We are in a great era where we have these sorts of things.”
But Edwards insists he won’t be taking any risks with his recovery by returning to action too soon.
“I obviously won’t go back into training until it is right. It has to be 100 per cent before I go back. There’s no way I can take any risks, I don’t want to do anything to it again.”
The 24-year-old was enjoying arguably his best form in the Premier League when the muscle tore.
Now he has set his sights on those crucial clashes with Wolves’ local rivals.
“I don’t want to miss any games of football and the big derby games are the ones that you want to be involved in,” he said.
“If I can get back for them it will be great. Obviously it would be nice to try to get back into the fold as well and to help us pick up some points.”
For Edwards the frustration has been even more acute after he was forced to miss most of the latter half of last season with an ankle injury picked up at Tottenham.
“I was out for four months. I got back for the last month of the season and played three or four games without ever really getting back to my best.
“This was the first time since that injury that I felt I was hitting top form again,” he went on. “That’s why it is such a shame.
“I have been unlucky with injuries over the last 12 months. It is something that has never bothered me in my career before,” he said.
“I have been very, very lucky with injuries. I have very rarely been out.
“Over the last 12 months in terms of getting injured it has been ‘my time’. Hopefully I can get over it.
“When I was in the team I played seven or eight games on the bounce, and I was starting to feel really good again. It is just a shame that this happened.
“Hopefully it is just a minor setback and I can get back in the team and start progressing.
“But there is nothing I can do now apart from work hard to get back and then try to keep my form going.”
To make matters worse Edwards admits he is not the best spectator.
“It is one of the worst times as a footballer, watching from the sidelines when you could be playing,” he said
by Bill Howell,