How many centimeters can you grow by correcting your posture?

Most ordinary people who have long-term bad postures such as chest hunchback, pelvic tilt, and knee hyperextension can release 1-3cm of hidden height after correction. A very small number of people with serious pathological posture problems may have a height increase of 4-6cm after correction. However, these increases are not secondary growth of bones. They just give you back the height that was originally "swallowed" by bad posture.

A while ago, I helped a friend who is a short video operator adjust her posture. She sits for 10 hours a day editing videos. She always curls up in the lift chair with her upper body, and her knees are a little hyperextended. She took off her shoes and measured her height in bare feet, which was 161.2. After three weeks of core and shoulder strength training, she also subconsciously lowers her shoulders and tightens her core. When standing, she no longer pushed her knees forward, and the measurement was directly to 163.7, which is an increase of 2.5cm. She was very excited at the time and asked whether she was growing too late at the age of 25. In fact, to put it bluntly, it was just to make up for the height difference caused by the previously compressed vertebral space, anterior pelvic tilt, and knee hyperextension. For adults whose epiphyseal lines have been closed, the bones themselves will not grow longer, and there is only so much margin that can be dug out. For teenagers whose epiphyseal lines have not yet been closed, the bones will be more evenly stressed after posture correction, which will be more conducive to natural growth. However, that part is due to the own growth, and does not count the height directly brought by the correction.

Nowadays, there are two opinions on the Internet that are very quarrelsome. One says that correction can move 10cm, and the other says that it is all an IQ tax. In fact, both are a bit extreme. Let’s talk about the former first. When I was an intern in the rehabilitation department, I saw children with severe scoliosis. The cobb angle was 50 degrees. When standing, the entire upper body was crooked, and the height was almost 7cm shorter than the actual bone age. Later, after surgical correction, it was indeed basically correct. This is tied, but it is a medical-level correction. The little chest and forward tilt that we ordinary office workers have accumulated from sitting for a long time cannot have such a large margin. Anyone who dares to say that an ordinary posture can increase more than 5cm with ordinary fitness exercises is basically trying to sell you a class.

As for those who are completely useless, most of them are people whose postures are quite standard. There is no height space to release in the first place. Of course, there will be no change after practicing. I met a friend who was retired from the military. He stood in a military posture for two years and his shoulders and back were extremely straight. After practicing posture adjustment for a month, his height did not increase by half a millimeter. He turned around and said that posture adjustment was a lie. In fact, it was not the case. He had already used his full height, so there was naturally no room for improvement.

This is actually like flattening a wrinkled sheet. The size of the sheet itself remains the same, but the previously folded area is expanded, making it look longer. You can't expect that flattening the sheet will lengthen the sheet itself by several centimeters, right? By the way, some people say that their height increased by 2cm after hanging the horizontal bar, and then went back after sleeping. That is because the gap between the vertebral bodies was briefly opened when hanging the horizontal bar, but the muscle strength did not keep up. When standing or carrying the weight, the gap was quickly pressed back by the weight. Only by training the strength of the shoulders, back and core enough to maintain the correct posture when standing, sitting and walking, can the extra height be truly retained.

To be honest, if you go for posture correction with the expectation of growing more than 5cm, you will most likely be disappointed. However, if you want to make yourself look taller and reveal all your original height, the price/performance ratio is quite high. After all, even if you only grow 1cm, you will look more energetic when taking a full-body photo than if you have hunched shoulders.