chest pain while deep

[srobins]

Hi All,

I went for my deep dive for my AOW on the weekend and went down to 26m (85ft), water temp was 8C (45F). I was wearing a drysuit. I noticed that while I was swimming horizontal, when I took a really deep breath, my sternum (the bone in the centre of the chest) started to hurt. Is this normal? I thought it may be something to do with the drysuit or the pressure at that depth. I didnt think to check it at any other depth or orientation as it only happened a few times and I only remembered it now.
Other than that it was a good dive..

 

[Diver0001]

srobins once bubbled...
Hi All,

I went for my deep dive for my AOW on the weekend and went down to 26m (85ft), water temp was 8C (45F). I was wearing a drysuit. I noticed that while I was swimming horizontal, when I took a really deep breath, my sternum (the bone in the centre of the chest) started to hurt. Is this normal? I thought it may be something to do with the drysuit or the pressure at that depth. I didnt think to check it at any other depth or orientation as it only happened a few times and I only remembered it now.
Other than that it was a good dive..

You might have been experiencing a suit squeeze. Adding a little more air to your suit would probably have relieved the pressure.

R..

 

[RICHinNC]

....making the assumption that is was a short temp pain with no radiation down the left arm??

 

[srobins]

Correct. Short temp pain in the centre of the chest only occuring when my lungs were full, only occuring in the chest.

 

[MISFIT DIVER]

I would have to agree with Diver0001. Try to add a little more air to your suit. Did the pain go away if you ascended a little? Sounds like the suit squeeze might have been putting pressure on the inflator valve on your chest.

 

[SARmedic]

You can pretty much rule out a cardiac problem if the pain changed with respiration like you said. My guess is with the others that it was probably a squeeze, most likely on your fill valve. (was the valve over your sternum?)

 

[srobins]

Yes, thinking back the valve probably is over my sternum. I think Im a little worried about uncontrolled ascents so I try to put as little air in the suit as possible! (Only been on 5 drysuit dives)

 

[roakey]

I should mention that I had similar symptoms when I forgot to zip my undergarment all the way up and the fill valve was pressing directly against my chest without any paddnig.

Roak

 

[Marcos]

I had similar chest pains when taking deep breaths while diving too, but I wear a wet suit. I was concerned it was my heart too, maybe angina or something. I went to my doctor and got checked out and it turned out to be a pulled muscle in my chest. I think it's more along the lines of a small tear in the tissue that connects the chest muscle to my sternum. Do you lift weights? I do and I'm not as young as I used to be so I blame it on that. Take some anti-Inflamitories and it will go away. Good luck.

 

[norcaldiver]

roakey once bubbled...
I should mention that I had similar symptoms when I forgot to zip my undergarment all the way up and the fill valve was pressing directly against my chest without any paddnig.

Roak

Yup, been there. I now have a thick piece of neoprene padding on a string. I wear it like a necklace so that the neoprene pads my sternum from the inflator.