According to Nysten's Law, how does rigor mortis progress?

Nysten's Law describes the progression of rigor mortis, indicating that the phenomenon occurs from proximal to distal parts of the body. This means that after death, the muscles in the muscles closer to the center of the body (proximal muscles) become rigid before those that are farther away (distal muscles).

This progression can be illustrated by observing that the larger muscle groups, such as those in the shoulders and hips, stiffen first, whereas the muscles in the extremities, like the hands and feet, take longer to develop rigidity. Understanding this law is crucial in forensic medicine, as it aids in estimating the time since death and assessing the general state of decomposition.

Other options such as distal to proximal suggest an opposite direction of stiffness progression, while medial to lateral and superficial to deep do not accurately represent the order in which rigor mortis develops in the body.