Body PartsLists about your head, shoulders, knees, toes, ligaments, veins, muscles, bones, and all the other visible features and hidden viscera that make up your very own unique body.
Updated October 25, 2019 4.3k votes 728 voters 25.5k views
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Vote up the double-joints that made you double-take.
When you were young, you probably first learned of double-jointedness when a sibling or a classmate showed you the bizarre ways they could twist their fingers. As you grew older, you realized double-jointed people can achieve all sorts of theoretically impossible body contortions, and that shocking double-jointed photos depict more than just bendy hands and feet.
People with hypermobility - the condition that makes double-jointedness possible - don't actually possess double joints; hypermobility syndrome works by allowing a person to extend a bone to its fullest extent without feeling any discomfort. The trait is fairly common and appears to be inherited. The extra collagen present in a double-jointed person's limbs grants them great flexibility, not to mention a bend and snap that's better than Elle Woods's best.
Yet, being a human ragdoll isn't always a blessing. According to research, side effects of hypermobility syndrome include increased risk for anxiety, IBS, and asthma, Thankfully, many double-jointed people (and at least one dog) have learned to make the most of their inherent talents.