What it means
A rigid posture seen in a person with a severe brain injury, either all the time or in response to pain. The arms are extended at the sides with the wrists and fingers bent and turned inward, the neck may arch back, and the legs are straight with the feet pointed down. It comes from damage to the brainstem and is a more serious sign than decorticate posturingdee-KOR-tih-kayt POS-cher-ingAn abnormal body position with the arms bent in toward the chest, the hands clenched into fists and the legs held stiff and straight.Full entry .
For the nurse
Record exactly what you see and whether it happens on its own or only with a painful stimulus; on the Glasgow Coma Scale it scores lower than flexion. Report any new posturing at once, since it may mean rising pressure inside the skull.
Remember it
DEcerebrate: arms Extended. DeCORticate: arms pulled to the "core."
At a glance
| Also written | decerebrate posture, decerebrate rigidity, extensor posturing |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
decorticate posturing
An abnormal body position with the arms bent in toward the chest, the hands clenched into fists and the legs held stiff and straight.
Related terms
intracranial pressure
The pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.
decorticate posturing
An abnormal body position with the arms bent in toward the chest, the hands clenched into fists and the legs held stiff and straight.