The Curves, or decompression sickness, occur when the pressure surrounding a person’s body decreases rapidly, commonly when a diver surfaces too quickly. Gases dissolved in the body, such as nitrogen, are released and can cause pain, itching, paralysis, or death. Slowly pausing during ascent can prevent bends. Mines and unpressurized aircraft can also cause curves.
The Curves is the common name given to decompression sickness or caisson sickness. Curves occur when the pressure surrounding a person’s body decreases rapidly. Most commonly, bends occur when a diver surfaces too quickly, but they can also occur when an unpressurized aircraft flies rapidly through low-pressure air, or when a miner exits a mine that has been heavily pressurized to hold water.
Gases are often dissolved in liquids, such as carbon dioxide which is dissolved in soda to make a carbonated drink. When the pressure on these gases decreases, such as when a soda bottle is opened and the high pressure inside stabilizes above that of the outside air, they are released from the liquid and escape. When you open a soda, you can feel the carbon dioxide escaping and may even see bubbles rise.
The human body also retains gases dissolved in liquids, especially nitrogen. Nitrogen is retained in the body in blood, other fluids and various tissues. If the body depressurizes, some of that nitrogen is released as a gas in the body and it is this release of nitrogen that causes the bends. Depending on the severity of the curves, the victim can experience pain, itching and rashes on the milder side of the spectrum, up to full-blown paralysis or death in the worst case.
When you dive, your body is put under pretty impressive pressure. Due to the weight of water, it takes only 33 feet (10 meters) of water to double the amount of pressure exerted on your body at sea level: one atmosphere, or about 14.7 pounds per square inch. When a person breathes through a tank, he or she is breathing in pressurized air at the same level as the surrounding water, so that at a depth of 100 feet (30 meters), approximately 60 PSI compresses the lungs. The deeper the diver is, the more nitrogen will enter his body as a solution and the longer it will take him to surface. By slowly pausing, the diver allows the nitrogen to slowly clear from the body, causing little or no experience of the turns or the physical pain and damage they cause – if a diver is forced to stand up quickly, the only way to avoid the turns and possible harm is to enter a pressurized chamber and slowly depressurize.
Curves can also be the result of a drastic change in pressure in ways other than diving. Many mines, for example, pressurize their shafts to keep water out of the excavated space. Some of the earliest reported cases of bends come from mining in the early 19th century, with miners reporting severe muscle pain and cramps after being underground for long periods of time. Even the rapid ascent to altitude, and the consequent lowering of atmospheric pressure, can cause curves. Most aircraft defend against this eventuality by pressurizing the passenger compartments to a pressure analogous to sea level, but if the hull is breached and air pressure is lost, cornering can occur.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
