Who is Robert Thomas?

Robert Thomas is a Canadian professional ice hockey. He is the starting centre and alternate captain for the St. Louis Blues of the NHL.

Born in Aurora, Ontario, Robert played began his ice hockey career playing AAA with the York Simcoe Express before moving up to the OHL playing with the London Knights and Hamilton Bulldogs. Thomas was a dominant player from early on, winning the 2016 Memorial Cup as a rookie for the Knights.

His play earned him well deserved recognition, which led to the 2017 NHL Draft where he was drafted 20th overall in the first round by his current St. Louis Blues team. On October 4th, 2017, he made his NHL debut and recorded his first career NHL goal a month later. Fast forward two years later and Thomas, though the youngest player on the Blues’ roster, was a big part of their success in winning the 2019 Stanley Cup.

Thomas is also an accomplished international ice hockey player, competing in various tournaments since 2015 as part of the Canadian national junior team. During the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he won a gold medal for our home country of Canada.

In 2024, the NHL announced Robert Thomas to represent St. Louis Blues in its 2024 All-Star Game. There is no doubt Thomas is one of the great young stars of the league and as a Canadian athlete, we look forward to seeing the impact he continues to have taking the NHL by storm.

The Injury

On October 22nd, 2024, Robert Thomas sustained an injury during a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Thomas, who had two assists in the game, blocked a shot by Neal Pionk, a Jets defenseman, at 1:32 of the third period. He played two more shifts, including getting an assist on Brandon Saad’s second goal of the game at 5:15, but would miss the final 11:58 after taking a face-off.

Thomas, who has six points (one goal, five assists) in seven games this season, had X-rays after the game that revealed the extent of the injury – a fractured right ankle. St. Louis placed him on the injured reserve list the next day and Thomas was reported to be out at least six weeks while in recovery.

The Return

On November 13th, 2024, Robert Thomas made a surprising return to the ice practicing once again with the Blues. Over two weeks ahead of schedule, he returned to action on November 18th against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“I started to feel better the last couple of days skating,” Thomas said to reporters before the game. “It got to a point where I was comfortable that I was ready to go.” His head coach, Drew Bannister said while talking about Thomas, “It doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat. He’s in great shape. He went away to do some work in Canada with his doctors there, and I think that really sped up the process.” So what exactly did happen here in the North that lead to St. Louis’ top center returning to his All-Star form so quickly?

So How Did He Do It?

Thomas decided to go to our very own Newmarket Health Wellness Center for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).

When speaking to Thomas about his injury and HBOT, he said, “I have a fracture in my ankle and it’s been something that’s been heavily prescribed to me to do, and I feel like it’s done wonders so far and I’m ahead of schedule, so I can’t thank it enough.”

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT for short, is a type of treatment that heals the body by increasing the amount of oxygen in blood cells, cerebral spinal fluid, blood plasma, and other bodily fluids. Patients enter a special chamber where inside, they will inhale pure oxygen. In this high atmospheric pressure, the process to heal damaged tissues begin.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can either be used to treat athlete injuries as well as carbon monoxide poisoning, diabetic wounds, compromised skin grafts and flaps, decompression sickness, among many other conditions. It can be used either a sole treatment option or in conjunction with a tailored treatment plan. HBOT is officially recognized by Health Canada as a regulated, safe, and effective medical treatment.

HBOT operator at Newmarket Health & Wellness Centre says, “The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for athletes first would be for training purposes. It’s going to help you recover faster from your training so you can train just as hard the next day.

We recommend athletes come in post training and then they’re able to get more training, more effectively. The second reason would be for healing injuries, whether it’s post-surgery, for a broken bone, strained muscle, torn muscle, etc., it’s going to help you recover quicker and help heal that injury faster so you can get back playing your sport again.”

Benefits of HBOT for Athletes

When pure oxygen is carried to surrounding body tissues in HBOT, it stimulates new blood vessel growth, promotes better blood circulation, creates a better environment for healing, and can improve the effectiveness of some antibiotics. In pre-and post-surgery care, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain levels, increases the rate of healing and tissue repair, and minimizes the likelihood of infection or complications.

The high concentration of oxygen in cells in the blood and blood plasma allows athletes to recover much quicker after injuries or high-intensity workouts or competition. It can also enhance athletic performance and endurance post-therapy by helping athletes achieve optimal levels of production as they train or compete.

Learn more about the benefits of HBOT.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Treatment Near You

We offer Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at clinics in both Newmarket and Mississauga. HBOT provides wonderful benefits for athletes like helping to heal from injury, reducing recovery time, pain and inflammation in the body and reducing chances of reinjury. Our HBOT service is a safe treatment plan that athletes need to return to their peak performance.

Contact us today to learn more about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Newmarket Health & Wellness Centre. A licensed therapist of ours will discuss your injury with you and devise a customized HBOT solution that addresses your specific needs.