In this article, we read about How to grow taller?

Are you already grown up and want to increase your height?

If you’re asking yourself this question, you’ve come to the right place! I show crystal clear facts, implementable solutions and speak from my own experience.

By the way, they are not alone with their problem. Many of the population is dissatisfied with their height to grow taller, so many dubious healing promises are circulating on the market.

For months I read through studies from all over the world and shared my findings in this post. In this blog, I convey compact knowledge and give an honest overview of all methods for increasing body size.

When do you reach maturity?

As soon as the growth plates are closed, this usually happens at 19 years of age at the latest. In exceptional cases, however, growth of a few centimeters is possible for up to 24 years. In this post, you will find more information on accelerating growth if they are not fully grown.

When are you short of stature?

In general, the lower 3% are considered short and the upper 3% tall. In Europe, this would be women under 1.50 meters and men under 1.65 meters. 

However, most men under 1.75 meters and women under 1.63 meters struggle with height, as society often prefers larger than ordinary people.

I am already grown. How can I increase my size?

1. Shoe insoles with elevation

This method from the USA is also enjoying increasing popularity in Switzerland. It is easy and cheap to implement and has no undesirable side effects. The illusion of enlargement is created, the bone substance naturally remains unchanged.

Compared to shoes with built-in elevation, the insoles can also be changed very quickly, and you can choose the shoe model yourself.

Incidentally, enlargement inserts cannot be seen from the outside. I can recommend the following models from the Swiss provider insole.ch from personal experience:

2. Leg extension

The leg extension (English: limb lengthening) is an artificially performed by surgeons fracture of the upper or lower leg with a particular saw. After drilling, a telescopic nail is inserted into the medullary cavity, the natural hollow of the bone, and fastened with screws.

This telescopic nail is called an intramedullary nail and is extended daily for several months by rotating the leg. In this way, the muscles and tendons can be stretched an average of 1mm per day.

This is a complex process and only bearable with strong pain relievers. The intramedullary nail is then removed, and, in the best case, the bones can grow together again. However, this form of leg-lengthening (callus distraction) often leads to complications such as nerve damage and infections, leading to amputation. The whole process, including healing, takes over one year to grow taller, during which one is dependent on crutches and must not put too much strain on the extended legs.

For leg-lengthening, including follow-up Treatment, costs of between CHF 50,000 and CHF 80,000 are expected, which are usually not covered by the health insurance company. 

I decided against surgical leg lengthening myself because of the risk to grow taller, so I cannot recommend a specialized clinic for leg lengthening. However, a Google search should provide you with information on a surgeon in your area. 

3. Getting more significant with growth hormones:

Unfortunately, there is a relatively little leeway with this method: If the growth plates (epiphyseal plates) are closed after puberty, Treatment with growth hormones to increase body size is pointless Treatment with medication to help you grow older should be given as early as possible, preferably before the age of 12. The high costs of CHF 15,000-20,000 per year are only covered by health insurance in most countries in exceptional cases. 

If growth hormone treatment is started early enough in childhood, the person can, in most cases, reach a standard height. Since growth hormones are also required for other processes such as metabolism, therapy well into adulthood is often beneficial in terms of health.

Treatment with growth hormone must always make in consultation with a physician who monitors the progress. Please do not buy hormone preparations from dubious sources on the Internet, as these often contaminated and have side effects.

 4. Posture to get taller

At first glance, this tip on getting bigger seems logical, but most people don’t heed it enough.

Fortunately, it is effortless: tense your stomach and buttocks, slightly back your shoulders, and stretch your neck. Practice this posture until it appears completely natural and relaxed. To remind yourself of this, you can distribute Post-It notes in the apartment, especially on the chairs. We also recommend strengthening the back and shoulder muscles through gentle strength training.

An upright posture also automatically makes us appear more confident and booming. If we measure our height on the wall, we would, of course, not stand bent over there either.

5. Alternative methods

Various promises of healing and tips for growing up are circulating on the Internet. Please always remain suspicious here, mainly if no studies have carry out on this. In particular, it is not advisable to use “miracle pills” as the providers usually unscrupulously want to earn money and add toxic ingredients to their products. Unfortunately, even with snake-oil or salt in the shoes, no growth spurt can generate.

The myth of exercises getting more significant, such as stretching, stretching, or hanging also persists. The intervertebral discs in our spine are more and more compressed by various loads towards the end of the day, and we are 1.5-2cm smaller than we were in the morning. Such exercises can counteract this but are only of apparent success. At night, the intervertebral discs can automatically soak up liquid again, and we can regain our natural size without stretching or struggling on the pull-up bar. 

The spine’s intervertebral discs (blue) fill up with fluid at night and empty again until the evening. This leads to fluctuations in body size over the course of the day.

My personal conclusion

In order to survive in today’s competitive society, one force to get the best out of oneself.

We only live once and there is no reason to put up with too small a size.

For those who are not afraid of costs and pain, an operative leg lengthening is definitely suitable .

By far the fastest and cheapest means of increasing body size are, in my opinion, enlargement insoles . Unfortunately, there are no other options according to the current state of knowledge. But the article continuously updated.

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