lung pain

[mermaidgirl]

Hi,
I have new training partner- a spearo that I am converting to a competitive freediver. After doing a few apnea sets( pool training), he complains that his" lungs hurt". I have never experienced this and have no idea what it is. I have been a swimmer my entire life which seems to give me an edge when it comes to breath hold. He spearfishes almost every morning then pool trains with me after.Do you think he is just tired ? Any ideas?

 

[Lil Dragonfly]

He needs to see a doctor! If taking deep breaths (i.e. breathholding) causes lung pain it could be a sign of something more serious. Not sure if you read my other thread...

 

[mermaidgirl]

I'll look it up. thanks

 

[trux]

It depends what exactly he feels and when. It may be sign of some lung problems, but he can perhaps also simply mean the burning feeling that comes with high CO2 breath-holds (in that case the feeling goes away as soon as he starts breathing again, though), or he can also refer to muscle pain after couple of contractions. It is important to understand what he really feels, when, and why. Having a serious check up by an expert physician is certainly a good idea anyway.

 

[mermaidgirl]

thanks Trux. We are going to do some statics tomorrow and we will see how he does. That will be a good way to have him experience some contractions( big fun!!!) He had a general check-up from his Dr. recently when he started this training. He is a young, athletic, guy. As a spearfishherman, he just may not be used to the serious breath hold sensations that freedivers experience. Hope I don't scare him off- lol!. We are having out first ever pool comp. in California in Oct. and we want him to participate.
Carla

 

[Don Paul]

How long has been spearfishing and how deep app? Does he do any cardio
bike, run etc?

Cheers, Don

 

[mermaidgirl]

Hey Don.
He has been spearfishing for about 10 years and attended UCSB on a soccer scholarship. He runs, bikes, on a reg, basis. I really don't know why he seems to give out so quickly during apnea training except that he spears in the morning prior to training. I would think he could do both,though. Maybe we just have to work up to it.
Carla

 

[Don Paul]

He sounds like he has a good foundation on which to form a freediver.

I laid off hard cardio and deep spearfishing for a year, then when I started to mountain bike steep grades I would get a very slight tightness
dull pain at the very upper part of my chest. I was concerned when I found my dry resting HR had gone up to 67 from 52. What a big surprise to fall out of fitness that fast. Thank god after getting back on the bike and into the water my pains went away and lower heart rate are coming back.
Good luck at the pool in the AM.

Cheers, Don

 

[Tony Babowicz]

Hi Carla,
Is the pain in a specific area? Or is it his entire lung area. I had an accident a few years back and caused some trauma to my chest. I have been squeezed numerous times, and the pain I get is exactly where I injured myself. Sometimes when I fully pack, I will feel a dull pain in this area as well. Knowing this, I rarely pack completely, and I'm very careful of my head position while diving more than 30m.
I am planning on coming out to hang out with you guys during the comp. Can't wait.
Tony

 

[mermaidgirl]

Hi Carla,
Is the pain in a specific area? Or is it his entire lung area. I had an accident a few years back and caused some trauma to my chest. I have been squeezed numerous times, and the pain I get is exactly where I injured myself. Sometimes when I fully pack, I will feel a dull pain in this area as well. Knowing this, I rarely pack completely, and I'm very careful of my head position while diving more than 30m.
I am planning on coming out to hang out with you guys during the comp. Can't wait.
Tony

Hi Tony,
We are so excited about you and your fab dnf coming to our comp!
Can't wait to see you again. I don't know where the "pain" is. We had started our dyn pyramid yesterday and after about the 3rd interval he stopped at the 50 and said his lungs hurt and he couldn't do anymore. So we switched to dnf technique work and turns.
Not sure what the problem is- maybe just conditioning?
Thanks for the help,
Carla

 

[Lil Dragonfly]

As well as where the pain is you might also want to ask what type of pain it is. I know my doctors always ask me "What does the pain feel like, sharp, burning, throbbing?".

 

[Lil Dragonfly]

How is your buddy doing?

Lung pain is no fun at all, I really hope he feels better soon!

 

[mermaidgirl]

He seems to be doing better. I think he just wasn't used to hardcore breath hold. Conversion from spearo to comp. freediver isn't as easy as one might think.
thanks for your interest everyone!

 

[Mullins]

Diaphragm in particular can get pretty sore/tired from contractions and the stretching associated with monofinning.

There aren't any nerve endings in the lungs, are there? Must have been pain from the surrounding tissue like diaphragm, intercostals etc.

 

[mermaidgirl]

Yes, Dave. he was hunting in the morning in the cold water we have had lately then coming to do pool training. I think it was a strain. He started doing some pranayama and I think it has aided his flexibility. He wasn't specific about where the "pain" actually was. Just said his 'lungs hurt".
Really think about coming to our comp. We can put you up and the flight isn't that bad to LA. Kerian can't come , unfortunately.
thanks,
Carla

 

[devondave]

There aren't any nerve endings in the lungs, are there? Must have been pain from the surrounding tissue like diaphragm, intercostals etc.

No nerve endings on the inner layer of the lungs but masses on the outer layer (pleura) and the middle section (mediastinum.)
Any swelling or inflammation of the inner layer will be felt through the outer layer and can be exceptionally painful.

Dave.

 

[cdavis]

When you get a snootfull of chlorine or some other nasty gas and it hurts like heck in your lungs, is the feeling coming from the mediastinum, pluera, somewhere else?

Connor

 

[mermaidgirl]

I don't know exactly. His description is non-specific.
Today, he said his ankles hurt from the mono.Seems to be something everyday. He probably wouldn't like me saying this; but I think he is a little over-sensitive. lol!
He just started training with me a little over a month ago and might be a tad impatient.
I appreciate the enthusiasm,though.

 

[devondave]

When you get a snootfull of chlorine or some other nasty gas and it hurts like heck in your lungs, is the feeling coming from the mediastinum, pluera, somewhere else?

Connor

Oh dear, awkward questions.
I'm not the expert, my wife is and unfortunately She's at work.
But from what I understand there are receptors in the lungs which are not pain receptors in the sense of if you cut yourself type pain, but they can convey a sensation that your brain can interpret as a type of pain,
these receptor are also present in major organs like the liver etc.
Nociceptor is what they are called and they can be chemically receptive,
I think these are what give you the sensation of drowning if water enters the lungs.
If this all turns out to be cobblers Ill post a correction later after consulting the wife.

Edit: OK, this is getting way above my pay grade and I'm very confused.
Lungs and receptors and nerves and stuff turns out to be immensly complicated, I guess that's why it takes 15 years of training to become a thorasic surgeon.
It seems that the receptors inside the lungs, which are sensitive to hot/cold, wet/dry, salt and some chemicals can send messages to the nerves on the outside of the lungs, so you feel pain.

If you really want to suffer brain ache, this is quite interesting-

Aspiration Diseases: Findings, Pitfalls, and Differential Diagnosis1 ? RadioGraphics

Dave.

 

[divedeeper]

Hi mermaidgirl, I know its been over a year since the last post in this thread, but I might have some info on it. Has your friend gotten better?
I had the same problem. I had a chest exam and it seems that my past experience (as a child) with bronchitis and asthma increased the bronchovascular markings in my lungs. The doc said this increase may be what's causing the pain. Don't think anything can be done about it, unfortunately. Perhaps the body will get used to it.