{"id":5520,"date":"2019-07-03T13:25:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T13:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kooxdiving.com\/en\/?p=5520"},"modified":"2019-07-03T14:02:17","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T14:02:17","slug":"what-are-the-bends-in-scuba-diving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kooxdiving.com\/en\/what-are-the-bends-in-scuba-diving\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the bends in scuba diving?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What are the bends in scuba diving?<\/h1>\n

The bends \u2013 more properly known as decompression sickness \u2013 are something you need to be very aware of when scuba diving.<\/p>\n

If you dive deep, if you dive for a long time or you come back up too fast, well…<\/p>\n

That’s when decompression sickness can be a serious danger. In fact, in extreme cases, it can kill you.<\/p>\n

But don’t worry:<\/p>\n

In this article, you will learn all about decompression sickness, the symptoms of the bends and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n

What is decompression sickness?<\/h2>\n

Decompression sickness (DCS) or \u201cthe bends\u201d is also called Caisson disease.<\/p>\n

It is caused when bubbles of gas (most commonly nitrogen) form in the body tissues due to changes of pressure which occur during scuba dives (or aerospace or high altitude events when the participants experience quick changes of pressure from sea level).<\/p>\n

These bubbles can have a range of negative effects on almost any part of your body.<\/p>\n

Why is decompression sickness called the bends?<\/h2>\n

When DCS was first discovered and written down in medical journals, the term \u201cthe bends\u201d related specifically to the joint pain which is perhaps the most common symptom.<\/p>\n

The other symptoms had similar colloquial names \u2013 such as \u201cthe chokes\u201d and \u201cthe staggers\u201d \u2013 as we’ll see below.<\/p>\n

What causes the bends?<\/h2>\n

When you dive beneath the water, you experience greater pressure than you do when at sea level.<\/p>\n

As you dive, the pressure may cause the gases in your air tank to dissolve into your body tissues. This is sometimes called \u201con-gassing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, as you come back to the surface, the pressure is reduced and the gases should slowly leave the tissue. This is often called \u201coff-gassing.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, if the ascent is too fast, the gas will not leave your body’s tissues safely. Instead, tiny bubbles of it will be formed and remain. This is what causes the bends.<\/p>\n

Picture it like a bottle of soda. In the closed, pressurised bottle, all is well. You only see all of the carbon dioxide bubbles fizz out of the drink when you take the top off and release the pressure.<\/p>\n

Although any kind of gas in a diver’s tank can be affected in this way, nitrogen is the problematic one. This is because your body has no use for nitrogen. All it does is build up in the tissues, prevent blood from flowing properly and stretch or damage the nerves.<\/p>\n

The released gas can also cause an embolism, cause blood to coagulate or vasoactive compounds (these are natural agents in your body which decrease or increase blood pressure or heart rate) to be released.<\/p>\n

The risk of DCS is increased by:<\/p>\n