The bends is an old term for what we now call decompression Illness, which includes decompression sickness and arterial air embolism. It got the name the bends when people suffering from DCI would walk around bent over to alleviate the pain. But put simply decompression illness is where some gas expands out of solution where it shouldn’t be in your body.

The best way to avoid decompression illness is to dive according to your training and be as conservative as possible, don’t ascend too quickly and don’t push your limits. It’s why most divers dive with a dive computer today. They are constantly working out how long you can stay down and when it’s safe to ascend. But just because your dive computer says it’s ok to ascend, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Let’s take a look at some of the things that can actually increase your chances of getting the bends and how to avoid them