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Vaccination and good wound care are important to help prevent tetanus infection. Doctors can also use a medicine to help prevent tetanus when someone is seriously hurt and isn't up to date with tetanus vaccination.

These are the most common symptoms of tetanus: Stiff jaw (also called lockjaw) Stiff abdominal and back muscles. Contraction of the facial muscles. Fast pulse. Fever. Sweating. Painful muscle spasms, especially near the wound area (if these affect the throat or chest wall, breathing may be stopped) Trouble swallowing.

Tetanus is a clinical syndrome without confirmatory laboratory tests. Characteristic symptoms of tetanus are painful muscular contractions, primarily of the masseter and neck muscles and secondarily of trunk muscles. Trismus, or lockjaw, is a common sign of tetanus (see generalized tetanus under Clinical Features).

Doctors can diagnose tetanus by asking about recent history of cuts, scrapes, punctures, and trauma, and examining someone for certain signs and symptoms. There are no hospital lab tests that can confirm tetanus.

Tetanus appears in three forms: Generalized tetanus is the most common type (about 80%) of reported tetanus. The disease usually presents with a descending pattern. The first sign is trismus or lockjaw, followed by stiffness of the neck, difficulty in swallowing, and rigidity of abdominal muscles.

Tetanus is a clinical syndrome without confirmatory laboratory tests. Characteristic symptoms of tetanus are painful muscular contractions, primarily of the masseter and neck muscles and secondarily of trunk muscles. Trismus, or lockjaw, is a common sign of tetanus (see generalized tetanus under Clinical Features).

Signs and symptoms of generalized tetanus include: Painful muscle spasms and stiff, immovable muscles (muscle rigidity) in your jaw. Tension of muscles around your lips, sometimes producing a persistent grin. Painful spasms and rigidity in your neck muscles.

A tetanus infection requires emergency and long-term supportive care while the disease runs its course. Treatment consists of wound care, medications to ease symptoms and supportive care, usually in an intensive care unit. The disease progresses for about two weeks, and recovery can last about a month.