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Why do muscles become stiff after death/?

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In death the cell membrane becomes permeable to calcium, calcium enters the cell freely, thus contracting the muscles, after death no ATP is being produced anymore, so after some time ATP is depleted and no calcium can be pumped out of the cell to relax the muscles anymore, so they remain shortened: rigor mortis sets in. read more

This is known as Rigor Mortis (Stiff after Death). This happens because you’re body has much lower oxygen and so it stops producing ATP after death, and ATP is required to break the ACTIN-MYOSIN bridges which initiates relaxation, without ATP you’re body can’t cause the muscles to relax. read more

Rigor mortis is the reason why the word "stiff" is a slang term for a dead body. Two or three hours after a person or animal dies, the muscles start to stiffen. This phenomenon progresses in a downward, head-to-toe direction. In 12 to 18 hours the body is, as the saying goes, stiff as a board. read more

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PPT - POST MORTEM INTERVAL PowerPoint Presentation - ID ...
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Further Research

Forensic Pathology Online
forensicpathologyonline.com

The Chemicals of Life and Rigor Mortis
health.howstuffworks.com

What causes rigor mortis?
health.howstuffworks.com