Dive Safety: Experiencing Vertigo
Have you ever experienced vertigo during or after a dive? Here’s what you should know
Vertigo is the persistent feeling of tilting, swaying, whirling or spinning motion of oneself or of the surrounding world when nothing is moving.
Description
Vertigo during or after diving is a common symptom of middle-ear or inner-ear injury. It is often associated with nausea and in severe cases vomiting. If vertigo happens underwater, the diver may not be able to tell which way is up; panic and vomiting may cause choking and drowning. On land, the patient may not be able to sit or stand. There are various causes of vertigo. In diving, it is most often caused by inner-ear barotrauma. It can also occur from stimulation of one side and not the other, such as when the pressure difference in only one ear equalises (alternobaric vertigo) or when cold water enters one ear but not the other (caloric vertigo). This type of vertigo disappears as the condition equalises and leaves no lasting effects except that the associated disorientation, nausea and vomiting while underwater may contribute to diving accidents. Vertigo is an acute symptom of vestibular injury that may be associated with other symptoms, some of which may become chronic. Symptoms may include imbalance and spatial disorientation, vision disturbance, hearing changes, involuntary eye movement (nystagmus), and cognitive and/or psychological changes, among others.
Differential Diagnosis
Vertigo is not the same as dizziness, light-headedness or unsteadiness. When you’re dizzy, you may feel lightheaded or lose your balance. If you feel that the room is spinning, you have vertigo. For vertigo, differentiate between inner-ear decompression sickness (DCS) and inner-ear barotrauma.
General Guidance
- Vertigo occurring briefly during or after a dive and resolving spontaneously requires evaluation of Eustachian tubes before resuming diving.
- Persistent vertigo is a sign of serious conditions and requires urgent evaluation by an ENT specialist. For an ENT referral in your area, email info@danap.org, or call DAN AP on +61-3-9886 9166.
- Severe persistent post-dive vertigo is an emergency.
Fitness to Dive
Damage to vestibular organs by DCS, barotrauma or acoustic shock may be permanent. In case of single-ear injury, vertigo may go away in two to six weeks, because the brain learns to compensate and ignores the side that is damaged, but the canal will not heal. The diver will have difficulties maintaining balance in the dark when deprived of visual clues. Damage to both vestibular organs is debilitating and may make certain life activities (such as driving a car) challenging or impossible. Persistent or recurrent vertigo, even if controlled by medications, is disqualifying for diving. Return to diving after inner-ear barotrauma or DCS should be evaluated on an individual basis depending on the extent of permanent injury of inner-ear organs. Answer provided by DAN Medical Services Team
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Relevant:
10 Things To Know Before Your First Night Dive
10 Things To Know Before Diving In A Marine Protected Area