Stress position

This creates an intense amount of pressure on the legs, leading first to pain and then rapid onset of muscle fatigue and tear.

[citation needed] It is used primarily in educational institutions, domestically, and occasionally by the police as a summary, informal punishment for petty crime.

The victim is typically kept in the position for one or two weeks, through all weather conditions, non-stop except for brief food and toilet breaks.

[5]: 20 [6] One Eritrean prisoner survived 55 days in the helicopter position, at temperatures of up to 50 °C (122 °F), after which his skin peeled off, and he was held for eight months with one hand and arm tied behind his back.

The duration of this torture position is normally limited to about ten to fifteen minutes to allow the victim to survive.