"Pins and needles" after diving...

[S. starfish]

How is your circulation? When you get cold your body shunts more blood to your core in an attempt to keep your vital organs nice and warm. Blood flow to your skin/fat is reduced resulting in slower off gassing. If you ended your dive quite cold then this could explain mild skin bends, especially after several days of diving. Toss in already poor circulation and you're a prime candidate. Not much you can do about it though. As Docvikingo, there are many other factors that could cause the tingling as well.

 

[Vie]

Many thanks for posting the question for me, and a big thank for ruling out obesity

Lol. No probs - nice to see you on SB, btw, LittleFrogFish.

 

[rakkis]

Are you keeping yourself hydrated when you go to this place where you dive in "cold" water?

Some people tend not to think about drinking water as much when they go to cooler climates on vacation. Perhaps this is a contributing factor in your case.

 

[lamont]

I was thinking of posting a similar question...

Although for me its that I typically get pins and needles in my lower legs when I get out of the water during the time that my gear is still on. Once I set my gear down it immediately goes away. It also happens on pretty amazingly conservative profiles like recreational dives with 2 fpm ascents from 30 fsw. It is cold water (45-55F) and wearing double-130s seems to make it worse.

Does this have anything to do with DCS/bubbling? Or is the explanation more diving reflex + bad leg circulation + excertion?

 

[stillhope]

FWIW, sometimes after diving in cold water (10 deg C) I get tingles in my head/neck and hands, the only parts of me exposed to the water because I wear a dry suit. This happens sometimes even after a 45 minute dive to only 20 feet (6m). I figured it was just blood returning to my skin.

I'm no doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

 

[Zippsy]

If that's the reason, stillhope, I'd worry about the seals being too tight. In colder water, blood will tend to be "recalled" to keep the torso warm but it doesn't completely leave the extremities without any circulation. When I get the type of "pins & needles that you seem to be describing, it's because I've slept in an awkward possition and completely cut off circulation.

I'm not a doctor either although I do have an uncle that knows a guy who worked as an orderly at a mental hospital.

 

[fisherdvm]

I was thinking of posting a similar question...

Although for me its that I typically get pins and needles in my lower legs when I get out of the water during the time that my gear is still on. Once I set my gear down it immediately goes away. Or is the explanation more diving reflex + bad leg circulation + excertion?

I would not jump to a dianosis, but a herniated disc and sciatica sure makes me wonder.

 

[fisherdvm]

FWIW, sometimes after diving in cold water (10 deg C) I get tingles in my head/neck and hands, the only parts of me exposed to the water because I wear a dry suit. This happens sometimes even after a 45 minute dive to only 20 feet (6m). I figured it was just blood returning to my skin.

I'm no doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

I am a doctor, but a bad one. Haven't carried a stethescope for years, and proud of it. Tingles only where you are exposed to the cold reminds me of ice fishing when I was a kid. My butt was cold, and it sur tingled!!

When my right hand gets cold, it tingled on the finger tip. I attributed this to the fact that my right hand is much larger than my left, and the gloves are too tight.

So I wonder, could it be that if you have a drysuit, could your neck seal be a little tight?? I think it is simply an irritated cutanous nerve that is triggered by cold temperature, vasoconstriction, and perhaps a little added pressure from the wetsuit.

 

[DocVikingo]

Zippsy,

Paresthesias most commonly are the result of impingement/disruption of a nerve. This, and not a circulatory issue, usually is the cause of pins-and-needles sensations/numbness in extremities from sleeping in an awkward position.

When circulation is involved, it's not its stopping, but rather its return, that causes paresthesias. Also, if circulation is "completely cut off" the limb soon dies; circulation is merely reduced.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Lamont & Stillhope,

Mild, transient itching/tingling can be the result of release of tiny gas bubbles from fast compartments in or just beneath the skin. It is not unusual for those undergoing recompression treatment to experience such paresthesias upon "ascent." It is more common on the ears, hands and wrists, but can appear on the lower extremities and head/neck. It can be exacerbated by cold.

It is uncertain whether or not this the case in your descriptions.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual and should not be construed as such.

Regards,

DocVikingo