What injury occurs due to changes in pressure while diving?

Barotrauma is the injury that occurs due to changes in pressure while diving. It typically affects air-filled spaces within the body, such as the lungs, sinuses, and ears. As a diver descends or ascends, the pressure around them changes, and if the pressure inside these air-filled spaces cannot equalize with the external pressure, it can lead to tissue damage. For example, during ascent, if a diver holds their breath, the expanding air can rupture lung tissue, leading to serious complications.

Understanding barotrauma is critical for divers, as it emphasizes the importance of proper equalization techniques to help prevent injury during changes in pressure. Other potential injuries related to diving, though notable, do not specifically result from the pressure change mechanism in the same way that barotrauma does. This focus on pressure-related injuries also distinguishes it from issues like thermal shock, which pertains to sudden temperature changes, or depth sickness, which relates to nitrogen absorption and not immediate pressure change. Cavitation involves the formation and implosion of bubbles due to pressure drops in fluid flows and is not a direct result of a diver's pressure changes.