# Case Report: Acute hydrotherapy with super-saturated hydrogen-rich water for ankle sprain in a professional athlete.
> プロアスリートの足関節捻挫に対する超高濃度水素水を用いた急性水治療：症例報告


## Abstract

A professional elite athlete sustaining a grade II ankle sprain received six 30-minute sessions of foot and ankle hydrotherapy using super-saturated hydrogen-rich water, administered every four hours within the first 24 hours post-injury. Pain assessed by visual analogue scale decreased from 50 points at baseline to 20 points at the 24-hour follow-up. Ankle swelling was reduced by 2.8%, and dorsiflexion range of motion improved by 27.9% over the same period. These findings suggest that multi-session hydrogen-rich water hydrotherapy applied acutely after soft tissue injury may contribute to reductions in pain and swelling while facilitating recovery of joint mobility. The case highlights a potential alternative to conventional RICE-based first-aid protocols, which may limit tissue perfusion.

### Mechanism

Molecular hydrogen is proposed to selectively scavenge reactive oxygen species and attenuate acute inflammatory responses, thereby reducing pain and edema following soft tissue injury.

## Bibliographic

- **Authors**: Javorac D, Stajer V, Ostojic SM
- **Journal**: F1000Res
- **Year**: 2020
- **PMID**: [32399209](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32399209/)
- **DOI**: [10.12688/f1000research.22850.1](https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.22850.1)
- **PMC**: [PMC7194471](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7194471/)
- **Study type**: human case report
- **Delivery route**: hydrogen bath
- **Effect reported**: positive

## Delivery context

Hydrogen bathing has reports of localized effects, but for systemic hydrogen intake the most efficient route is inhalation. Inhalation carries explosion risk (empirical LFL of 10%; high-concentration devices are documented in the Consumer Affairs Agency accident database and are not recommended).

## Safety notes

Hydrogen bathing has reports of localized effects, but for systemic hydrogen intake the most efficient route is inhalation. Inhalation carries explosion risk (empirical LFL of 10%; high-concentration devices are documented in the Consumer Affairs Agency accident database and are not recommended).

See also:
- [Inhalation concentration and LFL / UFL](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/inhalation-concentration)
- [Consumer Affairs Agency accident cases](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/accident-cases)

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> **Cite as**: H2 Papers — PMID 32399209. https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/32399209
> **Source**: PubMed PMID [32399209](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32399209/)