Minor symptoms - when to worry?

[fred3798]

I dove 15 times this week in Belize. All dives were well within my computer tolerances and had generous safety stops. I flew home 24 hours after my last dive. I took two flights. The second flight landed about 3 hours ago. I am feeling deep, dull pain in both hips. I am not in very good shape but this is not a symptom that I ever suffer. My question is with a minor possible symptom of DCS, when ought one to worry or what else should I look for?

Thanks
Fred

 

[chillyinCanada]

Any chance you've hurt your lower back hauling your bags? My lower back problems manifest in hip pain. According to my back specialist, not at all uncommon.

 

[fred3798]

Sure. I feel much better after a nights sleep. The warnings that one need treat DCS as urgent led me to wonder whether there is a particular symptom or group of symptoms to ring the urgent bell. Had I run to a Canadian hospital last night the chances of the ER staff having a clue about DCS are pretty low.

 

[TSandM]

I think neurologic symptoms ring the bell . . . if you develop numbness or weakness somewhere, that should be considered urgent. Nonspecific musculoskeletal pain is much more difficult to sort from various other causes, but if it's increasing, not reproducible by palpation or motion or position, DCS should be at least considered. And that, of course, is also related to dive profiles and timing -- the vast majority of DCS will present in less than 24 hours from the last dive.