Light headache and dizziness after dives

[Angelo Farina]

Where exactly do you perceive pain?
If it is on the back, just above the neck, this is typical of hypercapnia (CO2 accumulation due to improper breathing). If it is on the front it is typical of bad equalization of frontal sinuses.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi Everyone,

After my last few dives, I've been experiencing headaches and dizziness a few hours after the dive for no more than 1 day and I'm wondering what could be causing this.
These dives all lasted about 1 hour and I didn't descend past 12 meters.

In September of last year, I did go on a diving trip where I went into deco on the last dive of the trip. We went deep and the instructor gradually made his way back up, staying at lower depths for a certain amount of time before ascending further.
All of the people in the group's dive computers didn't require a long deco stop other than the regular safety stop. My computer forced me to do an 18 min stop, which I did together with the instructor.

The instructor later explained that my brand of computer (Mares puck) handles this differently than the ones they were using (Suunto Zoop) and that his gradual ascent caused their computers to count down the time, while mine didn't.

Afterwards, I did experience the same symptoms (light headache and dizziness for a few more days after arriving home but it eventually passed). I'm wondering if this is related and/or serious.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm in agreement with the other posters that this could be either barotrauma or CO2 retention. CO2 headaches tend to be pretty nasty, so going only by what you've posted I would lean more toward barotrauma and would concur with @rsingler that a visit to an ear/nose/throat physician familiar with diving would be in order. I don't think CO2 retention can be completely ruled out though, so it might be worth examining some factors that could lead to you retaining CO2. I'm linking a couple of articles for you below.

https://www.diveassure.com/wp-conte...s-Eric-Hexdall-RN-CHRN-Duke-Dive-Medicine.pdf
https://www.diveassure.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Diving-and-Carbon-Dioxide.pdf

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Esprise Me]

CO2 headaches tend to be pretty nasty, so going only by what you've posted I would lean more toward barotrauma

That's useful to know. I sometimes get slight headaches during or after a dive, and I'd always assumed they were due to CO2 retention. But if those headaches are typically severe, maybe I'll work on equalizing more often.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

That's useful to know. I sometimes get slight headaches during or after a dive, and I'd always assumed they were due to CO2 retention. But if those headaches are typically severe, maybe I'll work on equalizing more often.

I should add that "headaches" from sinus barotrauma are usually more localized, i.e. the diver can point to the exact area that hurts. CO2 headaches are more generalized.

Best regards,
DDM