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Opisthotonus

12 min read

Also known as: opisthotonus · opisthotonus posture · hyperextension · backward arching spasm · tonic spasm · tetanic spasm · meningeal spasm

Your Body Is Speaking

The body arches backward. The neck hyperextends, the back forms a taut bow, the musculature is under maximum tension. What is happening here is no ordinary stiffness. It is an extreme, often painful posture — a state that medicine regards as an accompanying symptom of severe neurological conditions: tetanus, meningitis, cerebral hemorrhages, poisoning. The body reacts with a force that goes far beyond what the will can control.

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