2A02:6B6F:F0EF:6800:7529:30C7:F605:8DCF at 14:40, 5 October 2025

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{{Short description|Compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death}}
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{{Wiktionary}}
[[File:Cheetah with impala.jpg|thumb|225px|A [[cheetah]] strangling an [[impala]], [[Timbavati Game Reserve]], South Africa]]
'''Strangling''' or '''strangulation''' is the compression of the [[neck]] that could lead to [[unconsciousness]] or even [[death]] by causing an increasingly [[hypoxia (medical)|hypoxic]] state in the brain by restricting the flow of [[oxygen]] through the [[trachea]].<ref name=ernoehazy>{{cite web|author1=Ernoehazy, William |author2=Ernoehazy, WS |url=http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic227.htm |title=Hanging Injuries and Strangulation|website=emedicine.com|access-date= 3 March 2006}}</ref> Fatal strangulation typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that [[hanging]] causes death (alongside breaking the victim's neck).

Strangling does not have to be fatal; limited or interrupted strangling is practised in [[Erotic asphyxiation|erotic asphyxia]], in the [[choking game]], and is an important technique in many [[combat sport]]s and [[self-defense]] systems. Strangling can be divided into three general types according to the mechanism used:<ref name=strack>{{cite web|author1=Strack, Gael |author2=McClane, George |url=http://www.polaroid.com/global/printer_friendly.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760370|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104140337/http://www.polaroid.com/global/printer_friendly.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760370|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2013|title=How to Improve Investigation and Prosecution of Strangulation Cases|website=polaroid.com|access-date= 3 March 2006}}</ref>
* Hanging — Suspension from a cord wound around the neck
* Ligature strangulation — Strangulation without suspension using some form of cord-like object ([[Ligature (medicine)|ligature]]) called a [[garrote]]
* Manual strangulation — Strangulation using the fingers, hands, or other extremity

==General==
[[Image:Gray513.png|thumb|left|200 px|The neck contains several vulnerable targets for compression including the [[carotid arteries]].]]
Strangling involves one or several mechanisms that interfere with the normal flow of [[oxygen]] into the brain:<ref name=jones>{{cite web|author=Jones, Richard| website=forensicmed.co.uk|title=Asphyxia|url=http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/asphyxia.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060226102952/http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/asphyxia.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 February 2006|date=26 February 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Jones, Richard| website=forensicmed.co.uk|title= Strangulation|url=http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/strangulation.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430224427/http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/strangulation.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 April 2006|access-date=30 April 2006}}</ref>
*Compression of the [[carotid arteries]] or [[jugular veins]]—causing [[cerebral ischemia]].
*Compression of the [[laryngopharynx]], [[larynx]], or [[Vertebrate trachea|trachea]]—causing [[asphyxia]].
*Stimulation of the [[carotid sinus reflex]]—causing [[bradycardia]], [[hypotension]], or both.
Depending on the particular method of strangulation, one or several of these typically occur in combination; [[cerebral ischemia|vascular obstruction]] is usually the main mechanism.<ref name=ferris>{{cite web |url=http://www.pathology.ubc.ca/path425/Others/MedicolegalInvestigationOfDeathAndForensic/AsphixiaDrJAJFerris.doc |title=Asphyxia |website=pathology.ubc.ca |author=J. A. J. Ferris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927122254/http://www.pathology.ubc.ca/path425/Others/MedicolegalInvestigationOfDeathAndForensic/AsphixiaDrJAJFerris.doc |archive-date=27 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Complete obstruction of blood flow to the brain is associated with irreversible [[brain damage|neurological damage]] and [[death]],<ref name=koiwai2>Koiwai, Karl. [http://judoinfo.com/chokes5.htm How Safe is Choking in Judo?]. ''judoinfo.com''. URL last accessed 3 March 2006.</ref> but during strangulation there is still unimpeded blood flow in the [[vertebral arteries]].<ref name=reay>Reay, Donald; Eisele, John. [http://www.charlydmiller.com/LIB/1982neckholds.html Death from law enforcement neck holds]. ''charlydmiller.com''. URL last accessed 3 March 2006</ref> Estimates have been made that significant occlusion of the [[carotid arteries]] and [[jugular veins]] occurs with a pressure of around {{convert|3.4|N/cm2|abbr=on}}, while the [[Vertebrate trachea|trachea]] demands six times more at approximately {{convert|22|N/cm2|abbr=on}}.<ref name=gunther>Gunther, Wendy. [http://www.aikiweb.com/techniques/gunther1.html On Chokes (Medical)], with quotations from Spitz and Fisher's ''Medicolegal Investigation of Death: Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation''. ''www.aikiweb.com''. URL last accessed 3 March 2006.</ref>

As in all cases of strangulation, the rapidity of death can be affected by the susceptibility to [[carotid sinus stimulation]].<ref name=ferris/> [[carotid sinus#Carotid sinus reflex death|Carotid sinus reflex death]] is sometimes considered a mechanism of death in cases of strangulation, but it remains highly disputed.<ref name="jones"/><ref>Passig, K. [http://www.datenschlag.org/howto/atem/english/csr.html Carotid Sinus reflex death - a theory and its history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504044744/http://datenschlag.org/howto/atem/english/csr.html |date=2012-05-04 }}. ''datenschlag.org''. URL last accessed 28 February 2006.</ref> The reported time from application to [[unconsciousness]] varies from 7-14 seconds if effectively applied <ref name=koiwai>Koiwai, Karl. [http://judoinfo.com/chokes6.htm Deaths Allegedly Caused by the Use of "Choke Holds" (Shime-Waza)]. ''judoinfo.com'' URL last accessed 3 March 2006.</ref> to one minute in other cases, with death occurring minutes after unconsciousness.<ref name=jones/>

==Manual strangulation==
Manual strangulation (also known as "throttling") is strangling with the hands, fingers, or other extremities and sometimes also with blunt objects, such as [[Club (weapon)|batons]]. Depending on how the strangling is performed, it may compress the [[airway]], interfere with the flow of blood in the neck, or work as a combination of the two. Consequently, manual strangulation may damage the larynx<ref name=jones/> and fracture the [[hyoid]] or other bones in the neck.<ref name=ferris/> In cases of airway compression, manual strangling leads to the frightening sensation of [[air hunger]] and may induce violent struggling.<ref name=jones/>

Manual strangulation is [[Strangulation in domestic violence|common in situations of domestic violence]],<ref name="Sorenson">{{cite journal |vauthors=Sorenson SB, Joshi M, Sivitz E | year = 2014 | title = A systematic review of the epidemiology of nonfatal strangulation, a human rights and health concern | journal = American Journal of Public Health | volume = 104 | issue = 11| pages = e54–61 | doi = 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302191 | pmid=25211747| pmc = 4202982 }}</ref> and is regarded by experts as an especially severe form of [[domestic violence]], due to its extremely frightening and potentially lethal nature, and an observed correlation between non-fatal strangulation in domestic violence and future homicide.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Glass N, Laughon K, Campbell JC |title=Non-fatal strangulation is an important risk factor for homicide of women |journal=J Emerg Med |year=2008 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=329–335 |doi=10.1016/j.jemermed.2007.02.065|pmid=17961956 |display-authors=etal|pmc=2573025 }}</ref>

Manual strangulation also has a history as a form of capital punishment, during the 18th century, a sentence of "Death by Throttling" would be passed upon the verdict of a [[court martial]] for the crime of desertion from the British Army.<ref>''Culloden''. BBC Drama Documentary, 1964.</ref>

More technical variants of manual strangulation are referred to as strangleholds,<ref name='Danaher'>{{cite web |title=John Danaher Explains The Difference Between a Choke & a Strangle |url=https://www.bjjee.com/articles/john-danaher-explains-the-difference-between-a-choke-a-strangle/ |website=Bjj Eastern Europe |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=18 December 2020}}</ref> or [[chokehold]]s (despite the term "[[Choking|choke]]" more technically referring to internal airway restriction), and are extensively practised and used in various [[martial arts]], [[combat sport]]s, [[self-defense]] systems, and in military [[hand-to-hand combat]] application. In some martial arts like [[judo]], [[Brazilian jiu-jitsu]], and [[jujutsu]], when applied correctly and released promptly after loss of consciousness, strangleholds that constrict blood flow are regarded as a safer<ref>{{cite web |last1=Buck |first1=Andrew |title=Blood Chokes: How Do They Work? |url=https://findyourgi.com/blood-chokes/ |website=Find Your Gi |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=3 September 2019}}</ref> means to render an opponent unconscious, when compared to other methods, especially strikes to the head, the latter of which can cause potentially [[Catastrophic injury|catastrophic]] or fatal and irreversible [[Traumatic brain injury|brain injuries]] much more quickly and unpredictably.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Aimee |title=One-punch killings: They happen more often than you might think |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2015/07/one-punch_killings_they_happen.html |website=oregonlive |publisher=Advance Publications |access-date=27 July 2021 |language=en |date=20 July 2015}}</ref>

==Ligature strangulation==
{{Further|Garrote}}
[[File:Strangulation of Godelieve.jpg|thumb|222x222px|Illustration depicting the ligature strangulation of [[Godelieve|Saint Godelieve]]]]
Ligature strangulation or garroting is strangling with some form of cord such as rope, wire, chain, or shoelaces (a [[garrote]]) either partially or fully circumferencing the neck.<ref name=turvey>Turvey, Brent (1996). [http://www.corpus-delicti.com/ligature.html A guide to the physical analysis of ligature patterns in homicide investigations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724051447/http://www.corpus-delicti.com/ligature.html |date=2012-07-24 }}. Knowledge Solutions Library, Electronic Publication. ''www.corpus-delicti.com''. URL last accessed 1 March 2006.</ref> Even though the mechanism of strangulation is similar, it is usually distinguished from [[hanging]] by the strangling force being something other than the person's own body weight.<ref name=ferris/> Incomplete occlusion of the [[carotid arteries]] is expected and, in cases of [[homicide]], the victim may struggle for a period of time,<ref name=ferris/> with unconsciousness typically occurring in 10 to 15 seconds.<ref name=turvey/> Cases of ligature strangulation generally involve homicides of women, children, and the elderly.<ref name=ferris/> Compared to hanging, the ligature mark will most likely be located lower on the neck of the victim.

During the [[Spanish Inquisition]], victims who admitted their alleged sins and recanted were killed via ligature strangulation (i.e. the garrote) before their bodies were burnt during the ''[[auto-da-fé]]''.<ref>Reston, James Jr. ''Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors.'' Doubleday, 2005. {{ISBN|0-385-50848-4}}.</ref> Throughout much of the 20th and 21st centuries, the [[American Mafia]] used ligature strangulation as a means of murdering their victims. Confessed American [[serial killer]] [[Altemio Sanchez]] used ligature strangulation in the rapes and/or murders of his victims, as did [[Gary Ridgway]] (the Green River Killer) and British serial killer [[Dennis Nilsen]].<ref>{{cite book |first= Brian |last=Masters|author-link=Brian Masters|title=Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen |page=160 |publisher=[[Random House]] |location=New York City |year= 1985 |isbn=978-0-812-83104-7}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Incaprettamento}}''Incaprettamento'' (derived from a term meaning "to tie up like a [[kid goat]]") is a method of strangulation in which the victim's neck is tied to their legs bent behind their back (similar to [[hogtie]]), so that the victim effectively strangled themselves. This method was common throughout [[Neolithic Europe]], and occurred for over two thousands years in northern and southern Europe, as evidenced by skeleton remains. It is uncertain why it was so common, but researchers speculate a person bound in this way might be considered to have strangled themselves, versus being killed by someone else. Victims may have been part of a ritual sacrifice. Rock art in Addaura Cave, [[Sicily]], made between 16,000 and 13,000 [[Before Present|BP]], depict two human figures bound in the incaprettamento manner. Today, it is a method of homicide mostly associated with the [[Italian Mafia]], who have used it as a ritual warning or reprimand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/neolithic-women-europe-were-tied-191955892.html |title=Neolithic women in Europe were tied up and buried alive in ritual sacrifices, study suggests |work=LiveScience |via=[[Yahoo! News]] |first=Tom |last=Metcalfe |date=April 10, 2014 |access-date=2024-04-10}}</ref><ref name="Fineschi">{{cite journal |title=Typical Homicide Ritual of the Italian Mafia (Incaprettamento) |journal=[[The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology]] |first1=V. |last1=Fineschi |date=March 1998 |volume=97 |number=1 |pages=87-92 |url=https://journals.lww.com/amjforensicmedicine/abstract/1998/03000/typical_homicide_ritual_of_the_italian_mafia.17.aspx }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ludes |first1=Bertrand |last2=Alcouffe |first2=Ameline |last3=Tupikova |first3=Irina |last4=Gérard |first4=Patrice |last5=Tchérémissinoff |first5=Yaramila |last6=Ribéron |first6=Alexandre |last7=Guilaine |first7=Jean |last8=Beeching |first8=Alain |last9=Crubézy |first9=Eric |title=A ritual murder shaped the Early and Middle Neolithic across Central and Southern Europe |journal=[[Science Advances]] |date=2024 |volume=10 |issue=15 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.adl3374 |doi-access=free|pmc=11006212 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Decapitation|Beheading]]
*[[Capital punishment]]
*[[Fainting game]]
*[[Hanging]]
*[[Hanging#Long drop|Long drop]]
*[[Short drop]]
*[[Strangulation in domestic violence]]
*[[Thuggee]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|author=Ohlenkamp, Neil |year=2006|url=http://judounleashed.com|title=Judo Unleashed|publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=0-07-147534-6}} Basic reference on judo choking techniques.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Strangling|*]]
[[Category:Abuse]]
[[Category:Violence]]
[[Category:Execution methods]]
[[Category:Causes of death]]

Strangling - Revision history

2A02:6B6F:F0EF:6800:7529:30C7:F605:8DCF at 14:40, 5 October 2025