Can posture correction help you grow taller

Posture correction will not make you grow taller by secondary bone development, but it can probably give you back the 1-3 centimeters that were "stolen" by bad posture. Whether it counts as height gain depends on how you define these two words.

I used to help a sophomore girl adjust her posture. She usually lays down on the table in class and cuddles up on the couch to watch TV dramas when she returns to the dormitory. Her chest is always hunched and her pelvis tilts forward. She always subconsciously slumps when she stands straight. Her naked height is obviously 162 in the physical examination, but her standing measurement is only 159.5 in her usual physical examination. Even she thought it was a mistake in the physical examination. I then adjusted my daily posture for more than two months. When I was sitting, I deliberately tightened my core so as not to slump my waist. I spent 10 minutes every day to open my shoulders and practice the range of motion of my thoracic spine. Later, I measured myself and found that I was 162 when I stood straight. I told everyone I met that I had grown 2.5 centimeters due to posture correction.

But if you take this to an orthopedic surgeon, you will probably be corrected - this is not growing, it is just "expanding" your original height. Our spine originally has normal physiological curvature, just like a spring with several cushioning bends. Year-round holding of the chest, forward head extension, and forward/backward tilt of the pelvis will cause these curvatures to become abnormal, and even mild scoliosis will occur. The joint space will also be compressed. The whole person is like a spring that is gently held, and the total length is naturally shortened. Posture correction is to return these abnormal curvatures to their normal positions. When the springs are fully stretched, you will naturally return to your original height.

There is a lot of quarrel on the Internet about this matter now. On one side, there are those who sell correction courses, boasting about the effects, saying that adults can grow 5 centimeters if they insist on practicing. On the other side, there are serious science bloggers who say, "It is impossible to grow taller if the bone line is closed. Those who say that the body can grow taller are all liars." In fact, both sides are a bit extreme. If you stand straight and have normal spinal curvature, then no matter how you adjust your posture, you won't be able to gain an extra millimeter in height; but if you have poor posture all year round, the change in height after correction can be measured in real terms. It is not wrong to say that you have "grown taller", but it is completely different from the principle of growth for children.

By the way, don’t believe in the gimmick that you can grow taller by wearing corrective belts and leggings. If you really want to adjust your posture, you must first find a professional to evaluate your problem. If you practice blindly, you may injure your joints, which is not worth the gain. If you always feel that you are shorter than people of the same height, why not stand against the wall for 5 minutes with the back of your head, shoulders, hips, calves, and heels all touching the wall. The height measured at this time will be your original height.