Effectiveness of Oral and Topical Hydrogen for Sports-Related Soft Tissue Injuries

Abstract

These preliminary results support the hypothesis that the addition of hydrogen to traditional treatment protocols is potentially effective in the treatment of soft tissue injuries in male professional athletes. Trial identification: Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT01759498.

Should hydrogen therapy be included in a musculoskeletal medicine routine?

“…Being prompted by the prominent effects of H 2 on disuse muscle atrophy, cartilage trauma, and osteopenia in animal studies 11– 13 , a number of clinical investigators from 2010 onwards evaluated the effectiveness of H 2 in patients suffering from different muscle and bone ailments – from sprains and strains to chronic joint disorders to myopathies 7– 9 . Typically, these studies were designed as single-blind pilot trials, with small sample sizes (< 40 participants) and of short duration (≤ 12 weeks).…”

“…Although limited in size and scope, those studies can provide early support for specific therapeutic claims about H 2 in musculoskeletal medicine. In a first trial, a combination of oral and topical H 2 resulted in a faster return to normal joint flexibility in 36 young men who had suffered sports-related soft tissue injuries, when administered for 14 days as a complementary treatment to a traditional medical protocol for soft tissue injuries 7 . H 2 intervention (hydrogen-rich packs 6 times per day for 20 min and 2 g of oral H 2 daily) was found to augment plasma viscosity decrease after an injury, while other biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) and clinical outcomes (pain scores at rest and at walking, degree of limb swelling) were not affected by the intervention 7 .…”

“…In a first trial, a combination of oral and topical H 2 resulted in a faster return to normal joint flexibility in 36 young men who had suffered sports-related soft tissue injuries, when administered for 14 days as a complementary treatment to a traditional medical protocol for soft tissue injuries 7 . H 2 intervention (hydrogen-rich packs 6 times per day for 20 min and 2 g of oral H 2 daily) was found to augment plasma viscosity decrease after an injury, while other biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) and clinical outcomes (pain scores at rest and at walking, degree of limb swelling) were not affected by the intervention 7 . Another study in Japan reported that drinking 530 ml of a liquid containing 4 to 5 ppm of H 2 every day for 4 weeks significantly reduced disease activity in 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, as evaluated by changes in the degree of tenderness and swelling in 28 joints and C-reactive protein levels 8 .…”

“…6]. Its clinical relevance seems to be particularly notable in the musculoskeletal medicine, with several small-scale short-term studies 7– 9 reporting that H 2 was able to restore the health and functional abilities of patients after acute injuries or chronic illnesses affecting the muscles and bones. Since musculoskeletal conditions account for a large proportion of a general practitioner's workload 10 , one might consider H 2 as a promising medication or adjuvant that could alleviate these prevalent conditions.…”

Nivel de satisfacción sobre la seguridad y complicaciones a cuatro años de la introducción de la técnica Microelectrólisis Percutánea (MEP®) Sport como práctica fisioterapéutica

“…This generates NaOH that produces a liquefaction of adjacent tissues, triggering an acute controlled inflammatory process. On the other hand, H 2 is released, which inhibits the free radicals present in tendinopathies and muscle injuries [14][15][16] .…”