Rigor Mortis: What are the 3 stages of rigor mortis? How long after death is rigor mortis?

Rigor mortis is a postmortem change resulting in the stiffening of the body muscles due to chemical changes in their myofibrils.

One major benefit of Rigor mortis is that it helps in estimating the time since death as well to ascertain if the body had been moved after death.

How long after death is Rigor Mortis?

Rigor mortis appears approximately 2 hours after death in the muscles of the face, progresses to the limbs over the next few hours, completing between 6 to 8 hours after death.

Rigor Mortis then stays for another 12 hours (till 24 hours after death) and then disappears.

What are the 3 stages of rigor mortis?

There are actually 4 stages of Rigor Mortis, which are explained below:

Stage I: Autolysis

1. This stage is also called self-digestion and starts following death.
2. Because the blood circulation and respiratory exercises stop not long after death, the body can’t get oxygen or evacuate metabolic waste.
3. This leads to the formation of an acidic environment in the body because of that the cells burst.
4. Little rankles begin showing up on the skin and inside organs and the top layer of the skin starts to relax.
5. The membranes the produce enzymes that eat the cells.

Stage II: Bloat

1. The enzymes delivered by the membranes produce numerous gases.
2. The shade of the skin then becomes blur because of the sulfur-containing mixes discharged by the bacteria.
3. Foul smells are delivered by the microorganisms in the process called putrefaction.

Stage III: Active Decay

1. All the body parts become liquified at this stage and all the delicate tissues of the body decay.
2. The leakage of fluids through orifices signals the start of active degradation and the organs, muscles, and skin liquefy.
3. The hair, bones, cartilage, and other decay byproducts remain after all of the body’s soft tissue has decomposed.
4. During this period, the cadaver loses the most weight.

Stage IV: Skeletonization

1. There is no set time span when skeletonization takes place.
2. This is on the grounds that the decomposition rate relies on the loss of organic and inorganic components.
3. Skeletonization refers to the final stage of decomposition when the soft tissues of a body or carcass have deteriorated or dried to the point where the skeleton can be seen.