What Researchers Did
Researchers reported on a single case of a diver who experienced pain in a small facial muscle after an experimental dive.
What They Found
A diver developed pain in the left orbicularis oculi muscle approximately 20 minutes after surfacing from a dive. Despite the pain, a careful neurological examination, facial nerve stimulation, and blink reflex tests all showed normal results. The pain quickly resolved with recompression, supporting a diagnosis of pain-only decompression sickness affecting this specific facial muscle.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This case suggests that decompression sickness can present as pain in small, unexpected muscles, such as those around the eye. Canadian divers experiencing unusual pain after a dive, even without other neurological symptoms, should seek medical evaluation as recompression therapy can be an effective treatment.
Canadian Relevance
This study covers decompression sickness, which is a Health Canada-recognized indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
As a case report, this study describes only one individual's experience and may not be representative of all cases of decompression sickness.