Old bubbles, how serious are they?

[ocean_connection_wb]

Hello doc,
i have a question about old bubbles?
how much of a risk is the build up of bubbles over many years of diving?
i have approx 5000 dives and have been diving close to every day for, well, a long time.
sometimes i think i may have symptoms of shoulder pain and very stiff bones especially in my hands, they click and grind a lot! then i am fine and have nothing for a week or two.
there are other activities that i do that could possibly explain the shoulder thing, like lifting tanks into the fill tank, but i dont do it enough for it to be that.
i all-ways follow the rules and am a very safety minded diver and never push the limits.

i guess what i'm asking is... Is it possible that old divers that still dive a lot, live with subtle signs and symptoms of dcs? hand how serious are silent bubbles when doing assents at 18m per minute? (controlled emergency swimming ascent)
many thanks for any info. doc.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello Ocean Connection:

No, bubbles do not persist in your body. Surface tension will cause them to shrink and dissolve. You might feel aches and pains from hauling gear, but it is not from residual DCS.

Thank goodness! :cool2:

 

[TSandM]

There are, however, bone problems that can be associated with doing thousands of dives over time -- osteonecrosis, particularly in the hips and shoulders, is a disease of old commercial divers, and is thought to be related to repeated bubble formation.

But osteoarthritis is extremely common, and heavy wear joints like hips, knees and shoulders are prone to it (as are, for reasons I don't understand, the small joints in the fingers). So that is most likely what you have, although osteonecrosis can't be ruled out by the history you have given.

 

[ocean_connection_wb]

thanks doc!

 

[cutlass]

...
But osteoarthritis ... (as are, for reasons I don't understand, the small joints in the fingers). ....

Heberden's nodes.* It's genetics. My wife suffers from it as does her mom. For my part, I have Osgood-Schlatter's which is useful for pimping othropod PGY-1's


As for the OP, one possible widespread and lasting consequence of repeated DCS incidents is damage due to immune system activity. This point was discussed in an earlier thread.

*Also, Bouchard's nodes. The difference is Heberden's is associated with the finger joint nearest the fingertips. Bouchard's is the next joint down, closer to the palm.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I'm aware of the terminology . . . but osteoarthritis is generally considered to be a disease of wear and tear. Wear and tear on knees and hips, I understand; they carry my weight. But I have never held any kind of job that required heavy work involving my hands -- why did I wear out my finger joints before anything else?

 

[vladimir]

But I have never held any kind of job that required heavy work involving my hands -- why did I wear out my finger joints before anything else?

I don't know, but it doesn't bode well for the twittering generation.