How long does rigor mortis last?
463157
A few hours after a person or animal dies, the joints of the body stiffen and become locked in place. This stiffening is called rigor mortis. Depending on temperature and other conditions, rigor mortis lasts approximately 72 hours. The phenomenon is caused by the skeletal muscles partially contracting. The muscles are unable to relax, so the joints become fixed in place.
970442
A few hours after a person or animal dies, the joints of the body stiffen and become locked in place. This stiffening is called rigor mortis. Depending on temperature and other conditions, rigor mortis lasts approximately 72 hours. The phenomenon is caused by the skeletal muscles partially contracting. The muscles are unable to relax, so the joints become fixed in place. \nMore specifically, what happens is that the membranes of muscle cells become more permeable to calcium ions. Living muscle cells expend energy to transport calcium ions to the outside of the cells. The calcium ions that flow into the muscle cells promote the cross-bridge attachment between actin and myosin, two types of fibers that work together in muscle contraction. The muscle fibers ratchet shorter and shorter until they are fully contracted or as long as the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are present. \n\nHowever, muscles need ATP in order to release from a contracted state (it is used to pump the calcium out of the cells so the fibers can unlatch from each other). ATP reserves are quickly exhausted from the muscle contraction and other cellular processes. This means that the actin and myosin fibers will remain linked until the muscles themselves start to decompose. \nRigor mortis can be used to help estimate time of death. The onset of rigor mortis may range from 10 minutes to several hours, depending on factors including temperature (rapid cooling of a body can inhibit rigor mortis, but it occurs upon thawing). Maximum stiffness is reached around 12-24 hours post mortem. Facial muscles are affected first, with the rigor then spreading to other parts of the body. The joints are stiff for 1-3 days, but after this time general tissue decay and leaking of lysosomal intracellular digestive enzymes will cause the muscles to relax.
908028
I think it takes about 3-4 hours for cremation. Then there's bone still left to be ground up. YUCK. but that's the way I'm going ~~~
351295
I had a broken vessel a few years ago that took about 3 weeks to completely resolve.  I think you can expect it to last at least 2 weeks and probably up to a month.
545846
without dying you mean? depending on the person..maybe 2 weeks..maybe.
171005
It varies with the cell you are discussing. Anywhere from less than 5 minutes to over 70 years.
1023865
Actually, yes. Well, let me rephrase that. In certain areas, yes. It depends what country, where in that country, the climate, the plant life... that sort of thing. But in many areas I think I could safely survive for at least 1 week. But, as I said, it really depends on the circumstances. And, if I were injured, who knows. It's all relative.
758185
around 10 days on average. Keep doing those sitz baths frequently and they'll mend sooner.
1004977
About 4 hours.\n\nYou're dribbling a bit there, you might want to get a tissue.
807843
Sometimes angels are on your shoulder and justice is served naturally. It takes a few hours for rigor mortis to set in so they were all responsible and paid for it eventually. I'm sorry it took so long for you to have closure. Your Dad was with you all the time.
1072730
I am so sorry about your grandfather. It is impossible for anyone to give you an exact amount of time he has left. However, if he is being cared for by a hospice agency, then his doctor has determined that he has less than 6 months (give or take - you just never know)\nSome signs of impending death are:\nDecreased eating/drinking\nA decrease in urine output\nExtremities become cool and dark\nirregular breathing pattern\na collection of secretions in the mouth/throat - so that it "rattles"when they breath\nI am sorry I can't give you more specific information - no one can.\nI wish you the best.
804801
Death begins when the heart stops beating. Deprived of oxygen, a cascade of cellular death commences. It begins with brain cells and finishes with the skin cells. Death is therefore a process, rather than an event.\n\n When the heart stops beating\n\n1. Heart stops beating and/or lungs stop breathing.\n\n2. Body cells no longer receive supplies of blood and oxygen.\n\n    * Blood drains from capillaries in the upper surfaces and collects in the blood vessels in the lower surfaces.\n    * Upper surfaces of the body become pale and the lower surfaces become dark.\n\n3. Cells cease aerobic respiration, and are unable to generate the energy molecules needed to maintain normal muscle biochemistry.\n\n    * Calcium ions leak into muscle cells preventing muscle relaxation.\n    * Muscles stiffen and remain stiff (rigor mortis) until they begin to decompose.\n\n4. Cells eventually die and the body loses its capacity to fight off bacteria.\n\n5. The cells' own enzymes and bacterial activity cause the body to decompose - muscles lose their stiffness.\n\nTiming?\n\n    * Brain cells can die if deprived of oxygen for more than three minutes. Muscle cells live on for several hours. Bone and skin cells can stay alive for several days.\n    * It takes around 12 hours for a human body to be cool to the touch and 24 hours to cool to the core.\n    * Rigor mortis commences after three hours and lasts until 36 hours after death.\n    * Forensic scientists use clues such as these for estimating the time of death.\n\n What is rigor mortis?\n\nRigor mortis refers to the state of a body after death, in which the muscles become stiff. It commences after around 3 hours, reaching maximum stiffness after 12 hours, and gradually dissipates until approximately 72 hours after death. Rigor mortis occurs due to changes in the physiology of muscles when aerobic respiration ceases.\n\nMuscles are made up of two types of fibre. These fibres have connections between them that lock and unlock during muscle contraction and relaxation. These connections are controlled by a biochemical pathway within the cell, which is partially driven by the presence of calcium ions. The concentration of calcium ions is higher in the fluid surrounding muscle cells than it is inside the cells, so calcium tends to diffuse into the cell. High calcium levels inside the cell drive the biochemical pathway in the direction that maintains muscle contraction. To relax, muscle cells must expel the calcium ions from the cell and this requires energy molecules to pump them across the cell membrane.\n\nAfter a body has died, the chemical reaction producing these energy molecules is unable to proceed because of a lack of oxygen. The cells no longer have the energy to pump calcium out of the cell and so the calcium concentration rises, forcing the muscles to remain in a contracted state. This state of muscle stiffening is known as rigor mortis and it remains until the muscle proteins start to decompose.
841233
Depends on a lot of things like temperature, humidity, if bacteria/fungus capable of decomposing are present, how large the person is, when the last time they ate was, fat decomposes at different speeds then flesh and muscle and cause of death. Usually, for an unburied body 8-12 days.\n\nAlso you can have other animals (and plants) that will speed up the process. \n\nLots of insects can devourer a corpse in under a week but this may not fall under your definition of decomp. \n\nSome chemicals like strong highly concentrated acids and bases can liquefy a body in a couple of hours.\n\nFor micro organism decomposition (bacteria, fungi, excreta.) keeping the corpse warm and moist a corpse can be gone in 5-12 days above ground.\n\nIf the body is buried it takes longer to decompose, if it is contained (like in a coffin) it takes even longer. "Although an exposed human body in optimum conditions can be reduced to bone in 10 days, a body that is buried 1.2 m under the ground retains most of its tissue for a year" (quote from the web page I list as a source)\n\nIf the body is embalmed it may take a several months before it is mostly decomposed.\n\nReally this all comes down to when and how you consider a corpse decomposed.\n\nThere are many different stages of decomp. These not all stages are present in all cases, for instance you can have external decomp and internal together or just one at a time.\n\n*---*---*---*\nWarning- this part in may be gruesome:\n*---*---*---*\nAssuming a body left untouched, died of natural causes:\n\nPale skin will show up with in minutes of death because blood has stopped circulating.\n\nTypically the internal flesh of the large intestine will start first. Our intestine is littered with rotting/decaying organic matter all the time (poop) and our body is only able to stop the bacteria from rotting us when we are alive.\n\nWhen our digestive tract bursts it will release digestive enzymes that will digest our internal body most efficiently if our body is kept at living body temperature. This is where temperature can mean the difference in days and months of decomp. The body will release bile, which has a particularly awful smell. \n\nGas from bacteria make the corpse bloat up with hydrogen sulphide, methane, cadaverine and putrescine. Fat cells will liquefy and bacteria will thrive on them, the bacteria in our colon (large intestine) will have a field day. This is where the body will really start to stink.\n\nThe external flesh starts to decompose shortly after death this is because we have millions of bacteria on us all the time. Colonies of bacteria will form first in small circles in places that are the most moist and warm (mouth, arm pits, lungs). \n\nThe smell of the rotting corpse will attract Demetrius organisms like flies who will use their own vomit (actually regurgitate digestive enzymes) to assist in decomp with the purpose of making it easier for the fly to digest, and then they will lay eggs. When the larvae hatch it may be only a few days more until the corpse is simply bones, teeth, hair and finger/toe nails.\n\nOver time (many years) the bones will dry out, crack and crumble to become dust, and the corpse is no more.\n\nwww.deathonline.net lists the following stages of decomp.\nStages of Decompostion \nLiving\nInitial decay\nPutrefaction\nBlack putrefaction\nButyric fermentation\nDry decay\n\nwww.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/decompostionafterdeath.shtml states that "Decomposition in the air is twice as fast as when the body is under water and four times as fast as underground."
674913
I suggest that you wait for at least two months.  But I also suggest that you speak to your doctor about it.  The biggest concern would be that your sternum is fully healed before you go smacking golf balls around!
705067
it lasts like a week or two just like most strains but probably a little longer because your hip is a bit bigger then say a calf or arm strain.
894360
Usually just casting or splinting the bone and pain killers is sufficient. Expect to be out of commission for about 4-6 weeks.
951687
There may be a correlation between the solidity of the bogey, and the time it has been exposed to the world.\n\nIf it is the consistency of rice pudding, about three hours.  If it is rock hard, then most of the day.