Treatment of Migraine with Hyperbaric Oxygen

By Rubicon Foundation editorial team

5 min read · 22 October 2026

Treatment of Migraine with Hyperbaric Oxygen is a 1989 journal article by Fife WP and Fife CE addressing the use of increased-pressure oxygen in relation to migraine. Its subject connects headache medicine with hyperbaric physiology, an intersection relevant to clinicians assessing oxygen exposure and symptoms in diving environments.

What question connects migraine and hyperbaric oxygen?

Migraine is a neurological disorder involving recurrent attacks of head pain and, for some people, symptoms such as nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. Its biology is complex: changes in sensory processing and activity in pain-related nerve pathways matter, while blood vessels alone do not explain the condition.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy means breathing oxygen at a pressure greater than normal atmospheric pressure, usually in a pressurised chamber. The combination raises questions about how pressure and oxygen availability interact with neurological symptoms, and how a proposed treatment should be evaluated for benefit, risk and suitability.

How do pressure and oxygen affect the body?

Breathing oxygen under pressure increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in blood plasma. The size and consequences of that change depend on pressure, exposure duration, the breathing gas and the individual’s health; hyperbaric treatment is therefore a controlled medical exposure, not simply a different way to breathe oxygen.

Pressure also affects enclosed gas spaces in the body. In diving, changes in ambient pressure alter gas volume, while oxygen exposure has its own physiological limits. These principles are central to both chamber practice and diving medicine, even though migraine treatment and underwater exposure are distinct clinical contexts.

Migraine: a neurological disorder with multiple interacting mechanisms and varied symptoms.
Hyperbaric oxygen: oxygen breathing at elevated ambient pressure, requiring controlled exposure.
Clinical evaluation: consideration of the proposed mechanism, meaningful outcomes, adverse effects and patient selection.
Diving relevance: recognition that pressure-related treatment and underwater oxygen exposure involve different settings and risks.

Why does this topic matter to divers and clinicians?

Headache can arise in connection with diving for many reasons, including pressure effects, exertion, dehydration, illness or other medical conditions. A migraine history may also complicate the interpretation of symptoms before or after a dive. The fact that hyperbaric oxygen is considered in a migraine context does not make it a self-treatment for a diver’s headache or establish that diving is appropriate during an attack.

Diving physicians distinguish the diagnosis of a headache from the circumstances in which it occurs. A new, severe or unusual headache after a dive warrants careful assessment, because clinicians may need to consider dive-related illness alongside common causes. Treatment decisions should be made by a physician familiar with diving medicine and hyperbaric care.

How does the article fit into hyperbaric research?

Hyperbaric medicine has examined oxygen under pressure in a range of clinical settings. Questions about a particular condition typically involve a proposed biological rationale, a clearly defined patient group, suitable comparison and outcome measures, and careful monitoring for adverse effects. Those considerations help separate physiological plausibility from evidence of clinical usefulness.

A journal article on migraine and hyperbaric oxygen belongs to this broader effort to understand where pressure-based oxygen treatment may have a role. Its topic is historically situated at the meeting point of neurology and hyperbaric medicine; reading it alongside current clinical guidance is important when considering present-day care.

What should readers keep in mind?

Hyperbaric oxygen is not risk-free. Oxygen exposure can have toxic effects, and pressure changes can injure gas-containing spaces, including the middle ear and sinuses. Treatment requires an appropriate clinical assessment, a controlled environment and attention to contraindications and monitoring.

This article’s subject is useful to divers, scientific divers and hyperbaric clinicians as an example of how a familiar neurological condition intersects with pressure and oxygen physiology. It should be approached as medical literature, not as a dive protocol. Anyone considering treatment or evaluating migraine in relation to diving should consult a diving-medicine physician.

Frequently asked questions

What is the subject of this article?

It addresses migraine in relation to hyperbaric oxygen, connecting a neurological condition with oxygen breathing at elevated pressure.

Does hyperbaric oxygen mean ordinary oxygen therapy?

No. Hyperbaric oxygen involves breathing oxygen in a pressurised environment, so both oxygen exposure and pressure require clinical control.

Is this article a guide to treating a headache after diving?

No. A headache associated with diving needs individual assessment. Consult a physician familiar with diving medicine, especially for a new, severe or unusual symptom.

Citation details

Title: Treatment of Migraine with Hyperbaric Oxygen
Authors: Fife WP; Fife CE
Year: 1989
Published in: Journal of Hyperbaric Medicine 4(1): 7–15
Record type: Journal article
Repository record: Rubicon Research Repository, handle 123456789/4386

This page is an original summary written by the Rubicon editors from the publication’s bibliographic record. It does not reproduce the paper, its abstract or its data; consult the publication itself for its methods and findings.