Opisthotonos

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Opisthotonos is a condition of  abnormal posturing characterized by rigidity and severe arching of the back, with the head thrown backward. If a person with opisthotonos were laid on his or her back, only the back of the head and the heels would touch the supporting surface.

Opisthotonos may occur in infants with meningitis, where it is a sign of irritation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meninges). It may also occur as a sign of depressed brain function or injury to the nervous system.

Opisthotonos is much more common in infants and children than in adults. It is also more exaggerated in infants and children because of their less mature nervous systems.

• Meningitis
• Arnold-Chiari syndrome
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Tetanus
• Brain tumor
• Severe head injury
• Glutaric aciduria and organic acidemias
• Gaucher disease
• Krabbe Disease
• Achondroplastic dwarfism (occasionally)

Review Date: 07/28/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin Sheth, M.D., Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.