The bends – more properly known as decompression sickness – are something you need to be very aware of when scuba diving. If you dive deep, if you dive for a long time or you come back up too fast, well… That’s when decompression sickness can be a serious danger. In fact, in extreme cases, it can kill you.
What happens if you get the bends?
Bubbles forming in or near joints are the presumed cause of joint pain (the bends). With high levels of bubbles, complex reactions can take place in the body. The spinal cord and brain are usually affected, causing numbness, paralysis, impaired coordination and disorders of higher cerebral function.
Why do scuba divers get the Benz?
The Bends is an illness that arises from the rapid release of nitrogen gas from the bloodstream and is caused by bubbles forming in the blood and other tissues when a diver ascends to the surface of the ocean too rapidly. It is also referred to as Caisson sickness, decompression sickness (DCS), and Divers’ Disease.
Can you survive the bends?
Prognosis or outlook of people who develop the bends varies with the following factors: Prognosis is good with hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Delay to hyperbaric oxygen treatment: Although reports show that divers can do well after days of symptoms, delay in definitive treatment may cause damage that is irreversible.
What is the Benz in diving? – Related Questions
Is the bends painful?
The less severe type (or musculoskeletal form) of decompression sickness, often called the bends, typically causes pain. The pain usually occurs in the joints of the arms or legs, back, or muscles. Sometimes the location is hard to pinpoint.
Why can’t you dive again after getting the bends?
The disruption of blood supply to the area where the fractures occurred or surgery was performed–the formation of scar tissue and altered blood flow may not allow for the most effective off-gassing of nitrogen from surrounding tissue once it is absorbed during the dive.
Can the bends be permanent?
Bubbles form within other tissues as well as the blood vessels. Inert gas can diffuse into bubble nuclei between tissues. In this case, the bubbles can distort and permanently damage the tissue.
Why do freedivers not get the bends?
Decompression sickness (DCS) after freediving is very rare. Freedivers simply do not on-gas enough nitrogen to provoke DCS. Thus, very few cases of DCS in freedivers have ever been reported, and these have involved repeated deep dives in a short time frame.
How far down can you get the bends?
At what depth do the bends occur? Most often, the bends are a real concern after 30 feet (9.1 m). The deeper you go, the more likely you are to run into the bends if you surface too quickly. Once you dive deeper than 30 feet (9.1 m), the bends become a serious potential problem.
How long does it take to feel the bends?
Symptoms of DCS can occur immediately after surfacing or up to 24 hours later. On average a diver with DCS will experience symptoms between 15 minutes and 12 hours following a dive.
How deep can you go without worrying about the bends?
How deep can you dive without decompression? Practically speaking, you can make no stop dives to 130 feet. While you can, in theory, go deeper than that and stay within no stop limits, the no stop times are so short that “well within” limits is essentially impossible.
Can you get the bends at 100 feet?
Nitrogen narcosis symptoms tend to start once a diver reaches a depth of about 100 feet. They don’t get worse unless that diver swims deeper. Symptoms start to become more serious at a depth of about 300 feet.
How do I avoid getting the bends?
When possible, keep exertion to a minimum during the deepest part of a dive. After diving, avoid exercise as long as possible. If exertion is unavoidable, dive conservatively to minimize risk.
Can you get decompression sickness at 20 feet?
DCS can also occur in relatively shallow depths—in fact there have been isolated cases in children in very shallow, 1 meter depths. Usually depths of about 20 feet are more common for DCS.
What is the deepest you can dive without decompression?
That means that most people can dive up to a maximum of 60 feet safely. For most swimmers, a depth of 20 feet (6.09 metres) is the most they will free dive. Experienced divers can safely dive to a depth of 40 feet (12.19 metres) when exploring underwater reefs.
What are the 3 symptoms of decompression sickness?
The symptoms of DCI may include fatigue, joint and muscle aches, cloudy thinking, numbness and weakness.
Who is most at risk for decompression sickness?
Lack of physical fitness, increased age, obesity, dehydration, physical injury, alcohol use during diving, repetitive dives, and traveling to altitude to dive are some of the risk factors that may lead to higher incidences of DCS.
Who should not scuba?
“If you can reach an exercise intensity of 13 METS (the exertion equivalent of running a 7.5-minute mile), your heart is strong enough for most any exertion,” he says. You also need to be symptom-free. If you have chest pain, lightheadedness or breathlessness during exertion, you should not be diving.