Flexibility linked to a syndrome

Daniel Browning Smith can bend and twist his body in ways that seem almost impossible.

He has been known to twist his torso around 180 degrees, move his joints far beyond the usual range, and even squeeze his entire body through an unstrung tennis racket.

But his flexibility is not simply the result of years of stretching.

Daniel says he first realized how unusual his body was when he was around four years old. According to his own story, he once jumped from the top bunk of his bed and landed in a full straddle split. Instead of suffering a serious injury, he discovered that his body could move much farther than most people’s....