Eli5: How come when someone is shot their body becomes completely stiff or sometimes just drops and folds completely ?

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Yes it’s a bit of a silly question but it has always stuck with me

In: 0

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

1. Nerve damage
2. Seizure
3. Fainting
4. Sudden loss of blood pressure
5. Tensing from being startled

Anonymous 0 Comments

For the most part, they don’t. This is largely just hollywood nonsense. That said, there ARE circumstances under which the body will either go stiff or just flop to the ground.

The body’s reaction to being shot is dependent almost entirely on what gets damaged. If the brain is destroyed, the body will tend to collapse on the ground and twitch. If the spine is severed, the body will tend to go into a seizure like state. Other damage to the body will generally produce a range of reactions depending on the person’s state in that moment.

In short, it really just depends on what part of the body is damaged or destroyed.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Well… human bodies work best when not impacted by transonic slugs of metal. Sometimes the brain is damaged, that one should be obvious. Sometimes the spinal cord is damaged, with similar effects. Sometimes a critical structure like a bone or tendon is destroyed, or other times, blood pressure is instantaneously reduced.

Anonymous 0 Comments

That only happens with headshots. When you cut brain-muscle connections by pressing the brains off button you essentially make muscles useless, so they just drop right where they are. Getting stiff is caused by brain suddenly firing up every neuron so causing a all over spasm.

0 views

Yes it’s a bit of a silly question but it has always stuck with me

In: 0

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

1. Nerve damage
2. Seizure
3. Fainting
4. Sudden loss of blood pressure
5. Tensing from being startled

Anonymous 0 Comments

For the most part, they don’t. This is largely just hollywood nonsense. That said, there ARE circumstances under which the body will either go stiff or just flop to the ground.

The body’s reaction to being shot is dependent almost entirely on what gets damaged. If the brain is destroyed, the body will tend to collapse on the ground and twitch. If the spine is severed, the body will tend to go into a seizure like state. Other damage to the body will generally produce a range of reactions depending on the person’s state in that moment.

In short, it really just depends on what part of the body is damaged or destroyed.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Well… human bodies work best when not impacted by transonic slugs of metal. Sometimes the brain is damaged, that one should be obvious. Sometimes the spinal cord is damaged, with similar effects. Sometimes a critical structure like a bone or tendon is destroyed, or other times, blood pressure is instantaneously reduced.

Anonymous 0 Comments

That only happens with headshots. When you cut brain-muscle connections by pressing the brains off button you essentially make muscles useless, so they just drop right where they are. Getting stiff is caused by brain suddenly firing up every neuron so causing a all over spasm.