For Moses Lanham, the ability to twist his feet backward 180 degrees and walk earned him two Guinness world records!
Admit it, most of us at one point tried to twist our neck, elbows, and feet to see how far could we go backward, but for Moses Lanham, it's like a way of life. For he can not only twist his feet backward 180 degrees but walk as well, which he says is more comfortable for him.
Moses currently holds two world records for twisting his feet and knees backward 180 degrees and walking on them. He has double cartilage and extra tissue in his knee joints, hips, and ankles that allow him to contort his legs and walk with ease. While some think of it as painful, for others, it is a scene which is too hard to believe.
He has shared several images and videos on his Facebook that show him walking with his feet facing in the opposite direction. Many might even confuse it with a work of photoshop, but one does not simply get two Guinness world records under their name by doing fraud, do they?
Speaking to The Wizard of Odd TV, Moses said, "I’m the only one that holds a world record for turning their feet around backward and walking the farthest distance," and added, "I also hold the world record for turning my feet around backward 180 degrees," Daily Mail reported him as saying.
Despite the weird stares that he gets, Moses loves the attention. Speaking about which, he said: "A lot of people ask me if it is painful for me to do this if it hurts or feels uncomfortable my answer to all three of them is not at all- it’s actually more comfortable."
Moses says when he starts walking with his feet turning 180 degrees, some people are left scratching their heads and wondering how is it even possible. Meanwhile, there are others who try to do it and undoubtedly, they are unable to do so. "When I perform this in front of people I love the reaction I get a lot of people are just amazed," he said. "Others turn away from them cos it grosses them out. One time in my lifetime I’ve had a person throw up after I’ve turned my feet around."
Others who come across a picture of Moses with his feet backward, they are quick to comment and ask if it is fake. "They think the photo has been photo-shopped and that it’s not real," he said. Moses realized his strange quirk when he was in his gym class at the age of 14. While climbing a rope, he fell down nearly 18ft before landing with his feet in an extremely awkward position. Many thought that he had dislocated his knee but little did they know that it was an ability undiscovered, until then.
Since then, with this talent, Moses has never failed to amuse people. In fact, in high school, he would often walk with his feet backward and while in college he would wear his clothes backward to match the direction of his feet. Moses Lanham's son Trey also has double joints but only partially inherited his father's ability to turn his feet 180 degrees backward.
Trey cannot turn his feet like his father and also feels pain if he stays in the position for a long time. Doctors who have examined Moses' state that he was born with extra tissue and cartilage in his joints, making his hips, knees, and ankles especially elastic. His talent became more recognized after he appeared on 'Candid Camera,' 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!,' 'America's Funniest Home Videos,' 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' and the Discovery Channel's 'Medical Incredible.'
He had been since then, often addressed as Mr. Elastic Man.