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Previous Volume 329:1120-1121 October 7, 1993 Number 15 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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It is widely believed that the outstanding virtuosity of the violinist Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) derived from the remarkable flexibility of his joints, and in particular that of his left hand. He is reported to have been able to bend his thumb back so far that the thumbnail touched the back of his hand. To the dismay of his contemporaries, he could span three octaves with little effort¹. How important is joint laxity for musicians and other performing artists? What determines the degree of laxity in joints, and is there a price to pay for the increased flexibility?

Generalized hypermobility . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• FREEDMAN, D. M., GARCIA-ELIAS, M. (1997). The Influence of Joint Laxity on Periscaphoid Carpal Kinematics. J Hand Surg Eur Vol 22: 457-460 [Abstract]