title: 'Sea legs': sharpened Romberg test after three days on a live-aboard dive boat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The sharpened Romberg test (SRT) is commonly used by diving and hyperbaric physicians as an indicator of neurological decompression illness (DCI). People who spend a prolonged time on a boat at sea experience impairment in their balance on returning to shore, a condition known as mal de debarquement ('sea legs'). This conditioning of the vestibular system to the rocking motion of a boat at sea may impact on the utility of the SRT in assessing a diver with potential DCI after a live-aboard dive trip.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact 'sea legs' has on the SRT after three days on a live-aboard dive trip.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine staff and passengers of a three-day, live-aboard dive trip performed a SRT before and after their journey, with assessment of potential variables, including middle ear barotrauma, alcohol consumption, sea-sickness and occult DCI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant impact on SRT performance, with 100% completion pre-trip and 35 out of 36 divers (97.2%) post-trip. There were trends towards more attempts being required and time needed for successful SRT post-trip, but these were not statistically significant. There was a small, but noteworthy incidence of middle-ear barotrauma, with seven people affected pre-trip, and 13 post-trip. There was a higher incidence in student divers. Middle-ear barotrauma did not appear to have a direct impact on SRT performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no significant impact on SRT performance resulting from 'sea legs' after three days at sea. Recreational divers, especially dive students, have a substantial incidence of mild middle ear barotrauma.
authors.affiliation: Registrar in the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit, The Townsville Hospital, PO Box 670, Townsville Queensland 4810, Australia, Phone: +61-(07)-4796-1111, Fax: +61-(07)-4796-2081, E-mail: clinton_gibbs@live.com.
authors.forename: Clinton R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.forename: Katherine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Commons
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Denise F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Blake