Performer conditioning and occupational flexibility practice
practiceevidence: historical record
The “elastic” performers of travelling shows trained and protected their flexibility as a working skill. The sources describe how they lived with hypermobility, not a treatment for it.
Not medical advice. This page summarizes research and does not recommend any course of care.
| EDS types | unspecified |
|---|---|
| Date | 1880s |
| Diagnostic criteria | Before formal classification |
| Type of practice | Folk practice |
| Last checked | 2026-09-16 |
Evidence
historicalretrospective account
Wile 1883 and Gould and Pyle 1897 documented performers and their practices, as cited by Parapia and Jackson.