Diving and working out

[wetman]

Is there a recommended time limit to have between diving and working out? I would think working out would be considered far more strenuous than other typical post dive activities. Are there any cases where workouts say within a day of diving have triggered hits?

Just curious.

steve

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear Steve:

Post Dive Exercise :scuba:

Readers have been confused by my comments concerning post dive activity. I have tried to clarify that in recent posts. By refraining from strenuous activity, I am referring to the period within a couple of hours after a dive.

During this interval, a diver is eliminating dissolved nitrogen and the decompression bubbles are shrinking (and the internal [Laplace] pressure is increasing with decreasing bubble radius). Within a couple of hours, the recreational diver is in a safe situation. One could engage in beach volleyball, weight lifting, or swimming with freedom from risk of DCS. A commercial diver or one performing a decompression dive would probably require a greater time interval.

Re-diving

This duration of a couple hours assumes that the diver is not performing a repetitive dive. Strenuous activity must be avoided during the dive day.

I am not aware of a dive becoming afflicted with DCS when exercising several hours following a recreational scuba dive. The problem is generally one of hyperactivity immediately post dive consisting of moving tanks and other gear.

Dr Deco :doctor:

Please note the next class in Decompression Physiology
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm

 

[wetman]

Thanks

steve

 

[scubaroland]

What about a pre-dive exercise. I bike ride to work 3-4 time a week and have riding home (a stenuous 50 min bike ride with heart rate of 155+) and then went diving 1 1/2 hours later.

What are the possibilies of DCS?

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear scubaroland:

Exercise Befor the Dive

This is a good question and has not been investigated for the diving situation. The problem is complicated by the fact that any nuclei generated by the exercise could conceivably be shrunk by the pressurization during the dive. This might render any nuclei “ineffectual” and essentially without importance.

The generally thinking is that nuclei are reduced in radius, but their mechanical properties (covered by a molecular skin) make this a conclusion that is difficult to prove in vivo.

If we were talking about decompression to altitude, there is no question that one a half hours later you would see a difference in the decompression risk. This is experimentally demonstrable. We are currently encountering this ”generation/relaxation” problem in the development of the oxygen prebreathe at NASA. Exercise within one hour of depress is elevating the DCS observed by a considerable amount over what is predicted. This is experimentally observed fact to avoid heavy exercise during over saturation and is not a theoretical “guestimate.” :doctor:

Now What?

In the absence of data, I would put at least four hours between the bicycle workout and me. That is a very elevated heart rate and a big workload. :boom:

Dr Deco :doctor:

Readers, please note the next class in Decompression Physiology :grad:
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm