I posted on this before, but I have discovered new information on this therapy. It was once thought that HBOT only works for acute brain injuries. These guys are proving that paradigm to be false. They are currently conducting a study on the effectiveness of HBOT on chronic brain injury ranging from 6 months to years post injury. Most of their work to date has been on Iraqi war vets, but they treat anyone with a brain injury. They are also currently conducting a study on chronic tbi. Thus far, they have produced dramatic results. So, it looks like this could be a viable option for brain rehab. The only caveat is that it does cots a lot of money to do this with the fees ranging from $4,000-$6,000 per treatment protocol that consists of 40 sessions. However, a lot of the centers recognize that most brain injury survivors aren't able to work, so they are offering huge financial assistance through endowment funds, non profit organizations and discounts.

And I believe that the Government pays for it in the UK if you've had a brain injury. A guy from Ireland told me this but I haven't verified this yet. So, you guys will have to look into this for yourselves. Worth a shot though, in my opinion.

http://www.hbot.com/SPECT-imaging-PDF

I was wondering about this myself.. I bet the pro atheletes that have concussions get hyperbaric oxygen treatment.. I know that for me I wouldn't be able to afford it...

Would insurance cover it?

Regardless, it looks to be effective and it makes me optimistic for future recovery.

Sunshine and Eddyshead,

No, insurance does not cover it as it is considered an off label use for TBI. However, as I wrote in the original post, it is worth investigating for resources to pay for it, i.e. local government, no profits, enowment funds, etc. I am learning on a weekly basis that there is a ton of money out there for the brain injured population to use for rehabilitation. You just have to put in the time and effort to look for it.

I believe that the government-funded hyperbaric oxygen treatment in the UK that mhr4 mentions refers to things like emergency decompression for divers. I do not believe that it includes traumatic brain injury. Please let me know if you know different as I would like to follow up. CS

There are lots of ongoing, but not completed studies of HBO as a treatment options for mtbi/tbi.
The preliminary results are encouraging.