What characterizes the clonic phase of a grand mal seizure?

• A. Sustained muscle rigidity with back arched.
• B. Slow, rhythmic breathing.
• C. Sudden violent jerking movements, teeth clenched, drooling.
• D. Loss of bladder control only.

Answer: (C)

During a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, the clonic phase is the part with rapid, rhythmic muscle jerking. This follows the initial stiffening and involves quick contractions and relaxations of muscles, producing jerking movements of the limbs. The jaw may clench and drooling can occur, reflecting the chaotic muscle activity and impaired swallowing during the seizure. This pattern matches a description of sudden violent jerking movements, teeth clenched, and drooling. The other descriptions describe different phenomena: sustained rigidity with back arching corresponds to the tonic phase, slow breathing isn’t a defining feature of the clonic phase, and loss of bladder control can occur but isn’t characteristic of the clonic movements themselves.