Bok centre Jean de Villiers, in an effort to make a speedy recovery from a rib injury sustained against Namibia, is undergoing intensive oxygen treatment.
It is the same therapy used by former Springbok fullback Andre ‘Rolls Royce’ Joubert to speed up his recovery from a broken hand during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
The treatment, known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, is believed to help injuries heal up to three times faster than standard treatments.
“It is almost as if you’re sitting in a walk-in wardrobe or in a submarine,†explained de Villiers to Die Burger.
“The atmospheric pressure inside the chamber is similar to that which one will experience in water 14m below the surface.
“You don’t feel anything, only your ears shut and your voice takes on a higher pitch. I still have four or five sessions left.
“The injury is not as serious as the one I had last year and I hope to be fit for the match against Samoa in three weeks time,†said the Bok centre.
Good idea – why didn’t they put all the injured players in there? Take them down to 28m and they’ll heal 6 times quicker 🙂