If your child doesn't grow tall, an orthopedic doctor can help you.

This is the 3839th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

As an orthopedic doctor who schedules his outpatient clinic hours on Saturdays, I can clearly notice that the disease spectrum of patients who come to see me on Saturdays is significantly different from that on weekdays. There are office workers who are busy on weekdays and want to check their lumbar spine on the weekend, and there are internet celebrities who want to see whether their rib cartilage is calcified before plastic surgery. Of course, the majority are children who are brought here by their parents.

Children come to the orthopedics department on weekends, usually for one reason - to grow taller. There are two main complaints based on the height of their parents. Tall parents will say, "Doctor, my husband and I are so tall, but our child is so short, is there a problem?", while other shorter parents will say, "I am already so short, what if my child is as short as me?" Therefore, I sometimes joke that compared with the height of the child, whether the child looks like you is not so important.

How tall can a child grow? This is determined by both genetics and the environment. Seventy percent of height is determined by fate, and three percent depends on hard work. About 60% to 85% depends on genes. Generally speaking:

Boy's height = (father's height + mother's height + 13) ÷ 2 ± 4cm

Girl's height = (father's height + mother's height - 13) ÷ 2 ± 4cm

Another simpler way to estimate is to multiply the child's height at 2 years old by two, which is approximately equal to the adult height. If you find that your child is relatively small and always stands at the front of the line at school, in addition to visiting the child growth and development clinic, orthopedic doctors can help you in two other ways.

First, assess the potential for growth and development

Bone age can be roughly assessed by taking an AP X-ray of the wrist joint. There are eight carpal bones, and there are about three ossification centers at the age of 1. The ossification centers will gradually increase between the ages of 1 and 10, and form a complete carpal bone. The bone age can be roughly determined by the growth status of the eight carpal bones and the formation of ossification centers. If you want to see if you can grow taller, in addition to judging the bone age of the wrist joint, you can also take an AP X-ray of the knee joint to understand whether the epiphysis of the distal femur and proximal tibia is closed. People grow taller mainly by the growth of the epiphysis of the distal femur and proximal tibia. After closure, they basically won't grow any taller.

The second is to rule out the occurrence of scoliosis

Scoliosis refers to a skeletal deformity in which the spine deviates from the central position and the body bends to one side. Scoliosis not only affects body shape, but in severe cases it can even compress internal organs and affect cardiopulmonary function. Depending on the degree of scoliosis, the patient's height will be affected to varying degrees, and there will also be abnormal postures such as uneven shoulders and long and short legs. Early detection and correction are very meaningful for the treatment and improvement of scoliosis. The earlier the treatment, the better the effect. Mild scoliosis can be detected early by taking a full-length X-ray of the spine.

In addition to the 70% determined by nature, grasping the 30% that can be changed through hard work is the key to growing taller. The most important factors that can promote height growth are the following three: nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

There is an old saying that "a cup of milk strengthens a nation". The height of people born in the 1980s and 1990s is significantly higher than that of their parents born in the 1960s. The main reason is the improvement of nutritional conditions. In addition to calcium supplementation, a balanced diet is also very important. It is not picky about food, and balanced intake of nutrients, protein, sugar, fat, vitamins, calcium, etc. should be balanced to help children grow taller. As for the so-called health products and supplements, they should be used with caution.

Exercise can promote the secretion of hormones by the pituitary gland in the brain, which helps bone growth. During the peak period of growth and development, doing more jumping exercises, such as skipping, basketball, high jump, badminton, etc., can effectively promote the growth of adolescents. If the child is young, you can also take the baby to increase outdoor sports or trampoline exercises, which can also better promote bone growth and development.

Sleep quality is directly related to the child's height development. 22:00-1:00 is the time period when growth hormone secretion is most active, and the second peak is 5:00-7:00 in the morning. Therefore, it is recommended that parents must urge their children to go to bed before 10 o'clock, so that they can maximize their growth and development potential and promote height growth.

Finally, if you have passed the age of growth and development and the epiphyseal line has closed, but you are not satisfied with your height, do not try the so-called "bone-breaking height increase". This is not only illegal, but will also seriously damage your health.

In the past, there was a saying about universities: "A university is not a place with big buildings, but a place with great masters." In fact, it is the same with people. The reason why a great man is a great man is not because of his tall stature, but more importantly, because of his strong heart. I hope that all adults and children can have a satisfactory height and become a man who stands tall and upright.

Author: Putuo Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Department of Orthopedics Yu Luchao Attending Physician