Sore index finger after deep dive...

[thesleepingfan]

Hi, I am new, I am a 24 year old guy who is reasonably fit and have done a few (55) dives now. I did a 32m dive this morning - done on computer, we spent about 10minutes at 32m, most of the rest of the dive at 13m and then a good 5 minute safety stop. on the boat, i was absolutely fine, but then got a sudden stabbing pain in the smallest joint in my left index finger which went on for most of the surface interval (1hr20min)... i then did a 40minute dive between 5 and 7m and it largely stopped hurting but is a bit tender.

Was this a bend? If it was it was pretty unusual i would think. i feel like a bit of an idiot, but everything was entirely in limits and i am diving with a really good dive shop.

Should i be worried? it seems to be resolved now but i was just a bit concerned but felt like a wally so didn't want to bring it up on the boat.

Also are mild dcs symptoms common after dives? or should they all be treated? i think i'm probs being a hypochondriac.

 

[The Kraken]

Rather stupid question, but were ya holding on to the down line with that finger?

the K-arpal Kwestion

 

[divebri]

First and most importantly, exclude any possibility of a physical injury before you start thinking about being bent. Are you sure you didn't just strain it somehow? Try ice, if that relieves the pain it viritually eliminates the possibility of a dcs hit.

Second, if your pain is constant, or moves around, or also involves numbing/tingly sensation, call DAN.
But in answer to your question (and I'll probably get flamed for saying this) as a non-physician diver I would say the likelihood is very low.
As a side note, I came off a three-day, 13-dive trip once and rushed to get everything in the car for a long drive home. Around two hours later (which was six hours after my last dive) my elbow started hurting like crazy. I was right by Long Beach, and was really thinking about just heading straight to an ER, calling DAN, and looking at a chamber ride. Ice helped the pain, and I went to a doc when I got home. Diganosis: Tendonitis/"golfer's elbow" as a result of straining with a lot of weight and trying to pack up fast. go figure.
Second, there is no such thing as "mild dcs symptoms" after every dive. Maybe a slight headache (from diving, I sometimes get that from neck strain, jaw strain, and maybe a little physiological reacion from breathing at depth), stiffness in joints due to overexertion, but never mile dcs synmptoms.
Revieiw your BOW book for sumptoms, but everyone goes through the thought that they are bent once in a while. fortunately, very few actually ARE.

Doesn't hurt to be cautious. Just don't let it overwhelm you thougts or enjoyment.

 

[thesleepingfan]

cheers for that - it does not hurt now but not constantly and only really if i squeeze my finger, it now feels like it's bruised... it's just that it started hurting suddenly about 5 minutes after we got back on the boat, stopped hurting when i went for the second dive which is why i thought it could have something to do with diving and as far as i can remember i did nothing to injure it (i wasn't holding the line etc.) but let's be honest, it could have just as likely been a burst bloodvessel in my finger - i am in fact a medical student and really sudden onset pain is generally a blood vessel bursting etc. where if my understanding of the pain of the bends is correct it comes on a bit more gradually and gets worse and worse - is that right? British medical schools don't teach hyperbaric medicine very well - if at all.

It was a great dive though, on a 4 week old wreck, i guess also i'm just concerned when i go deeper as i don't tend to go deeper than about 22-25m as i really go diving to look at coral.

 

[divebri]

for musculoskeletal injuries - rest, ice, compression, elevation.

Diving in cool water, water being so dense, provides a smidgen of cryotherapy (unless, of course, you're diving real warm water)
And depth provides compression.
So, combine that with the excitement of diving and you don't feel the injury when you do it as much, and then you feel it big-time during the SI. Having restrictive gloves/wetsuits, etc also aids in compression, which you take off during the SI.
Then, go back in the water, favoring that injury (hence, rest of sorts) and you can see the pattern: rest, ice, compression.

DCS usually onsets immediately, but not always, if I remember correctly. Sympoms may not necessarily get worse, but will not go away with other treatments. O2 will usually (but not always) relieve the symptoms. And, of course, the only treatment is recompression.

You might want to call DAN, especially being a medical student, and get more technical, medical information. I'm not an authority on DCS by any stretch, I'm just a diver.
Glad it all worked out

 

[The Kraken]

diverbri,

That is a nice tidbit of information. Methinks, perhaps, I need to store that somewhere on the hard drive of my mind.

the K

 

[Charlie99]

Rather stupid question, but were ya holding on to the down line with that finger?

the K-arpal Kwestion

Or clinging to a boat ladder as the boat rocks while climbing up. Been there. Done that. I now catalog pre-dive aches and pains, and also try to note any unusual exertions, bumps, etc. on entry and exit.

A complicating factor is the DCS is more likely to happen in a joint or muscle that has been overexerted. Dr Deco has frequently posted about extertion and formation/growth of bubbles. If you hang from a line in a strong current, you are more likely to sprain the arm and elbow, but also more likely to have a true case of DCS in that arm and elbow.

 

[thesleepingfan]

a-ha - you might have it good sir - that is the finger i use to unclip my fins when i get out of the water... i probs did it like that... i'm an idiot.

 

[Belmont]

When you crack your knuckles the sound is caused by the sudden release of pressure in the joint, a vacuum is caused and cavitation is generated. This creates a mini point of bubble formation even if you have been at 1 ATA for the past 25 years...

It's conceivable that someone with a N2 charge in his tissues from a recent dive would create a bigger release of bubbles in a popped or even pulled joint, thus creating a very localized DCS hit in an otherwise normal post dive situation.

Food for tought

 

[Charlie99]

When you crack your knuckles the sound is caused by the sudden release of pressure in the joint, a vacuum is caused and cavitation is generated. This creates a mini point of bubble formation even if you have been at 1 ATA for the past 25 years...

It's conceivable that someone with a N2 charge in his tissues from a recent dive would create a bigger release of bubbles in a popped or even pulled joint, thus creating a very localized DCS hit in an otherwise normal post dive situation.

Food for tought

Tribonucleation is sometimes used to describe this phenomena. On doing a search on tribonucleation, I discovered an interesting patent that claims that an ultrasound generator could be used to localized DCS symptoms such as commonly occur in joints. I started a new thread about the "DCS fix-it machine". http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=197865