Erythromelalgia and Hyperbaric Oxygen

5 min read · 24 March 2026

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Successful Treatment of Erythromelalgia with Hyperbaric Oxygen is a 1999 meeting abstract by Potkin and colleagues in Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine. Its subject is the use of hyperbaric oxygen in erythromelalgia, a painful disorder involving episodes of redness and heat in the extremities. The topic matters because it brings oxygen delivery, blood flow and pressure-based treatment into a clinical question central to hyperbaric medicine.

What is erythromelalgia?

Erythromelalgia is characterized by recurrent burning pain, warmth and visible redness, commonly affecting the hands or feet. Episodes may be associated with warmth or exertion, and cooling can ease symptoms for some people. The disorder can be primary or occur in association with another condition, so its clinical context and assessment matter.

These symptoms involve small vessels and the regulation of blood flow, but erythromelalgia is not simply a problem of too little oxygen reaching tissue. Changes in circulation, temperature control and sensory nerve activity may all be relevant. Understanding that complexity is important when considering any treatment intended to alter tissue oxygenation or vascular responses.

What does hyperbaric oxygen involve?

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment means breathing oxygen at a pressure higher than normal atmospheric pressure in a purpose-built chamber. Increasing pressure raises the amount of oxygen dissolved in blood plasma, in addition to oxygen carried by haemoglobin. The physiological effect depends on treatment conditions and the patient’s health, and it is not interchangeable with ordinary oxygen given at normal pressure.

Hyperbaric medicine uses this approach for selected clinical problems, with treatment decisions based on the condition and its risks. In a disorder involving painful changes in the extremities, a key question is how elevated oxygen availability might interact with circulation and tissue function. The title places that treatment question—not a general claim that oxygen benefits all vascular disorders—at the centre of the abstract.

Why is this subject relevant to diving medicine?

Diving medicine considers how pressure and breathing gases affect the body, both during underwater exposure and in clinical chamber care. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment shares the pressure environment and gas-physiology foundations of diving, while serving a distinct medical purpose. For clinicians, the subject illustrates how principles familiar from diving can be applied to questions beyond decompression illness.

Erythromelalgia also highlights a broader challenge in dive medicine: symptoms involving pain, temperature and altered blood flow can have different causes and require careful assessment. A diver with a vascular or pain disorder needs evaluation in the context of the condition, its severity and the demands of diving. Decisions about fitness to dive or chamber treatment belong with appropriately qualified medical professionals; a diving-medicine physician should be consulted when these issues affect diving.

What concepts help frame the research question?

The meeting abstract sits at the intersection of clinical hyperbaric practice and the physiology of peripheral circulation. These concepts help readers understand why treatment with oxygen under pressure may be investigated in a condition marked by heat, redness and pain:

Oxygen delivery: tissue oxygenation depends on blood flow as well as the oxygen content of blood.
Vascular regulation: small-vessel tone and local circulation influence warmth, colour and tissue supply.
Pressure and gas physiology: chamber pressure changes the physical conditions under which oxygen is breathed and transported.
Clinical complexity: similar symptoms can arise in differing contexts, making diagnosis and treatment selection essential.

Research questions of this kind contribute to the wider history of hyperbaric medicine, which examines when pressure and oxygen may have a therapeutic role. A meeting abstract is a concise scholarly format for presenting a topic within that field. Its appearance in an undersea and hyperbaric medicine venue makes the connection to diving physiology clear, while the condition itself remains a general medical concern rather than a diving injury.

Frequently asked questions

What is the subject of this publication?

It addresses erythromelalgia in relation to hyperbaric oxygen, connecting a painful condition of the extremities with pressure-based oxygen treatment.

Why might hyperbaric clinicians be interested?

The topic raises questions about oxygen availability, peripheral circulation and how hyperbaric treatment is considered for conditions beyond diving-related illness.

Does a history of erythromelalgia determine fitness to dive?

Not by itself. Fitness to dive depends on individual circumstances and medical assessment; a diving-medicine physician should be consulted.

Citation details

Title: Successful Treatment of Erythromelalgia with Hyperbaric Oxygen
Authors: Potkin, RT; Weinberger, A; Comer, M; Dale, HM
Year: 1999
Published in: Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine 1999
Record type: Meeting abstract
Repository record: Rubicon Research Repository, handle 123456789/803

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.