Q:
I understand that feeling tired after a
dive may be a symptom of decompression
sickness, but I almost always feel tired
after diving. Should I be concerned?
A:
The expectation of normal (i.e.,
nonpathological) tiredness following diving
varies from person to person. Factors
such as individual fitness, thermal stress, gear
constriction, diving skill, work completed during the
dive, psychological stress (positive or negative) and
distraction can all affect how tired one feels. While
these variables make it difficult to quantify tiredness as
a symptom of decompression sickness (DCS), unusual
fatigue has long been documented in association with
other symptoms of DCS.
The mechanism behind fatigue as a symptom
of DCS remains elusive, although it is possibly a
response to a cascade of physiological events taking
place in various tissues. It could be through direct
stimulation of nervous tissues or indirectly through
the stimulation of other tissues. It is possible that the
attention currently being directed toward identifying
biochemical markers of DCS will help resolve the
questions. In the meantime, it is reasonable to say that
DCS represents a complex, multifocal response to a
decompression injury. Unusual or “undue fatigue”
(that in excess of normal fatigue for a given individual
and diving exposure) is a recognized symptom.
— Neal W. Pollock, Ph.D.
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