INDIANAPOLIS -- As the Colts' Dwight Freeney races against time to heal his ankle before this Sunday's Super Bowl, he's turning to a different kind of treatment -- oxygen.

The defensive end is spending time in a hyperbaric chamber in an effort to help repair a torn ligament in his right ankle, 6News' Stacia Matthews reported.

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Typically, patients are prescribed two hours of pure oxygen in the pressured tank over a course of several weeks in an effort to saturate damaged tissue and accelerate repair.

But even limited exposure could help Freeney heal faster, said Dr. Victor Egwu, an orthopedic surgeon with Community Health Network.

"He's only had it for a few days, but even a few days will make a significant difference," he said. "You can actually form new blood vessels. We call it angiogenesis, when blood vessels improve the healing of the wound."

Freeney told reporters this week that he hopes to still play in the big game.

"I'm going do everything in my power to go out there. Obviously, I'm not going to jeopardize my career," Freeney said. "I will go out there and give my teammates as much help as I can to win this ball game."

The Colts said Freeney plans to test his ankle at practice on Friday.

"It just kind of depends on how he feels and what the doctors think in terms of how much he's going to do," coach Jim Caldwell said Thursday. "We kind of go with the flow and allow him to adjust as he goes."

Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzales has also used hyperbaric treatment to help heal injuries.