pain

[ebbtide]

good day all ,

i dident know just where this thread belongs so ill just try it here ,
i've been diving for a couple years now almost got 150 logged dives and the deepest dive is 109.

my regular dives are between 60 and 96 ft allot of it is working dives , and i dont violate my computer (sherwood logic), but ive noticed that after a couple dives i have a small amount of joint pain in my left elbow.

let me go on to say that it dissapeats by morning and is only noticed within an hour after the dive .

there are a fiew of us who are noticning the same thing,
when we asked about it we were told that allot of commercial divers have this as well and that it was aquired by the nitrogen buildning up small chrystalls in the joints that are most used in the dives while under pressure. this beening on my left elbow.
from having to haul a large bag of scallops arround with me.

stress on the elbow from the tide and scallop bag can be great at timeswith the tide anywhere from 3 to 9 knots and i am wonderning if it is normal (for this type of work)
or not as i was saying the pain decreases as time goes on , (offgassing) is there anyone else who experiences this type of small joint pain as well?

 

[BillP]

Howdy ebbtide:

I can sure see how lugging a heavy bag of scallops against current could make an elbow hurt, but any significant pain after diving should be assumed to be a diving related malady and should prompt a call to DAN and sometimes even a visit to a hyperbaric physician.

They would likely ask questions like when does the pain occur?, how long does it last?, does it hurt to move the joint? (with joint DCS it generally doesn't hurt to move the joint), does the pain occur when the dive doesn't involve hauling scallop bags?, does the pain improve or go away at depth?, will you please send me some scallops?, etc. They would probably be interested to know that other scallop divers with similar stresses on their elbows have similar symptoms. The most reliable test to see if joint pain after diving is due to a decompression illness is a trial of pressure in a hyperbaric chamber, but sometimes a good history an physical exam is enough to know whether a test of pressure is necessary.

ebbtide said...
i am wonderning if it is normal (for this type of work)...

...is there anyone else who experiences this type of small joint pain as well?

It is quite common for workers in any field (diving related or not) to have joint pain in joints that are subjected to significant or reptetitive stress.

A link to DAN's contact info can be found in the post titled "Attn: Please Read!" at the top of this forum. That post also explains how all information supplied in this forum is for discussion purposes only and cannot be meant as specific medical advice for any individual.

HTH,

Bill

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

ebbtide,

I agree with BillP but will be more to the point. If you think you have DCS contact DAN. Their response time will be measured in minutes.

Don't be in denial--if it's on your mind at least ask the immediate experts. I experienced eye problems nearly 3 days following diving. Consensus was it was probably NOT dive related BUT since it was neurological and since I had been diving, better safe than sorry. So I went off to the chamber...I even got a free hat.

Next, now that I'm over 50, even thinking about picking up my tanks makes my arms sore. Carrying tanks can cause a kind of a "tennis elbow" like pain. Carrying the speargun--especially in the extended position also is tough on the forearm. Hanging on for dear life in a ripping current also does wonders.

I would suspect repetitive muscle strains first but IF YOU HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE IT'S DCS, CALL DAN. Don't e-mail them, Call them--they are there for you 24 hours a day--even if you're not a member. Maybe you can get a hat too.

Be safe,

Larry Stein

 

[John Reinertson]

Dr Stein is correct. If there might be DCS call DAN and ask.

This is much like the situation we see all to often in family practice of a patient who felt chest pain and tried sixteen home remedies before considering it could be their heart and could be serious.
Just as with strokes or heart attacks, when it comes to DCS, each minute the DCS continues without recompression reflects more of your body or brain irreparably damaged and a missed opportunity for cure.

With that said, I agree with the others that suspect this could be wear and tear injuries. Underwater exertion has the same risks as above water exertion, with the added threat of increased bubble risk. (See Dr Deco's many threads on exertion and increased DCS risk.)


Always remember, the tables and computers are set up to a statistical norm.

They assume a rate of 2 to 4 episodes DCS per 10,000 dives, and try to allow dive freedom without exceeding that rate.

DCS can occur with the safest profile, and some divers can do the most egregious violations and get by with it... for a while.

The difference between a conservative profile and an agressive (or radical) profile is not one where a conservative diver can't get bent and a careless diver will unavoidably get bent.

The difference is that a careful, conservative diver has much better odds for the long haul than a radical, careless diver.

(Not unlike the stock market)

Careful diving can result in DCS. Radical divers can get by with crazy profiles sometimes. The diiference is the odds of injury.

Keep the odds on your side to be able to dive another day.
Gamble in Las Vegas or Wall Street, not with your brain cells.

If there is unexplained pain, a call to DAN is cheap in the long run.

Dive safe and often;

John

 

[ebbtide]

thanx all for the info

a call to dan will go out soon and yes other divers experience the same kinda pain i was mention earler , also i dont believe it to be DCS but you never know till you ask and take the ride to the big can .
with our cold water and tide strain and large load of scallops and sea urchants i believe it to be joint strain , yup a call to dan will be in order tho none the less . free hat ? hummm hope they got 1 fer me (lol) .
thanks agin for the info .