Pediatric orthopedic surgeons can estimate when growth will be completed by determining a child's “bone age.” They do this by taking an x-ray of the left hand and wrist to see which
If you follow your son's growth chart you'll see it begins to flatten out around age 18 -20, indicating linear growth is slowing down and full adult height is likely. However, boys who enter puberty later may continue to grow into early adulthood.
Increasing your height after 18 is not possible, even through nutrition and exercise, because the growth plates stop growing. The growth plates (epiphyseal plates) are present at the end of long bones.
The term “late bloomer” refers to a child who goes through puberty later than their peers. Constitutional growth delay, the medical term for this condition, runs in families. Late bloomers will catch up on their growth and have standard adult height, although it may take a little extra time and patience.
Changes in Boys
The growth spurt of boys is, on average, about 2 years later than that of girls. By age 16, most boys have stopped growing, but their muscles will continue to develop.
You wouldn't know for sure unless you looked at an X-ray of the legs. That said, hand and wrist X-rays are a standard use as a predictor of skeletal maturity in children, so it may be that your son has finished growing. The growth plates in the knees generally close at about the same time as the ones in the wrist.
It is true that once puberty is over, the growth plates in our bones fuse together, and we are not likely to grow much taller. However, for those who still wish to grow taller, there is a surgical solution known as limb lengthening surgery.
An adolescent may expect to grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth, then will typically have another growth spurt.
A major growth spurt happens at the time of puberty, usually between 8 to 13 years of age in girls and 10 to 15 years in boys. Puberty lasts about 2 to 5 years.
For example, if you look at the CDC growth chart for boys 2 to 20 years, a 13-year-old boy who is 5'1" (61 inches tall) is in the 50th percentile. Based on that curve, they should reach an adult height between 5'9" or 5'10" (69–70 inches).
What causes delayed puberty in boys? By far, the most common cause is constitutional delayed puberty. These boys are generally healthy and will eventually go through puberty if given enough time. In about two thirds of cases, it is inherited from one or both parents.
Early bloomers may start to notice changes in their bodies as early as age 10, whereas late bloomers may start at age 14. Of course, these changes could easily fall anywhere in between. Those who started on the later side, can expect to keep reaching new heights until the age of 18.
Most cases of delayed puberty are not an actual health problem. Some kids just develop later than others - what we call a “late bloomer.” This has a medical name: “Constitutional Delay of Growth and Puberty.” In many of these cases, late puberty runs in the family.
Conclusions: Final height is influenced by both height and the age of onset of the PGS in normal maturing children. A normal but early puberty exerts a negative effect on final height. A delayed PGS exerts a positive effect on final height.
Children reach puberty at different ages. Delayed puberty is when boys have little to no genital growth by age 14, or girls have no breast development by age 13, or no periods by age 16. You may also hear this called being a “late bloomer”.
Once we are at the end of our puberty period, our hormonal changes prompt the growth plate to close off. Once that's closed off or sealed, no amount of sleeping will help us get taller any more. According to Healthline.com, the growth plates close at around 16 for women and somewhere between 14 and 19 for men.
People cannot control most of the factors that influence their height. This is because DNA determines these factors, and they cannot change. However, there are some factors that can increase or reduce growth during childhood and puberty. Growing children and teenagers can take some steps to maximize their adult height.