ELi5: What causes decompression sickness, and is there such a thing as compression sickness?

Question

ELi5: What causes decompression sickness, and is there such a thing as compression sickness?

In: 41

Answer 1

decompression sickness is caused by nitrogen bubbles forming in the blood vessels, kind of like how when you take the cap off a soda it starts bubbling. compression sickness isn’t a thing because by the time getting more compressed hurts you it’s just breaking your ribs/crushing you in other ways.

Edit: as pointed out by others on this post, there is actually “compression sickness”, go give them upvotes.