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.
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.
What causes growth spurts? Growth spurts are a natural part of your child's development because their bones and muscles are forming, and the nutrients they eat create fat in their body. Your child's genetic composition, or the genes that they inherit from their parents, causes growth spurts.
Yes, it is possible to experience a growth spurt at 17, although it is less common than during the early teenage years.
Well, in fact, you can grow 2 to 6 inches even after the age of 18 or after puberty. Many people think that growing taller after puberty is impossible; however, it can be done with some determination and using the right approaches.
As mentioned in one of the articles one good way to see if you still have growth potential is to X-ray a wrist- the test is called a Pediatric Bone Age. It will show if your growth plates are still open. A doctor can also request lab tests- checking for hormones- such as thyroid, growth hormone and sex hormones.
An adolescent may grow several inches in several months followed by a period of very slow growth, then have another growth spurt. Changes with puberty may occur gradually or several signs may become visible at the same time. There is a great amount of variation in the rate of changes that may occur.
Age is obviously a primary criterion in determining if it is possible to grow 10 cm or more. Growth is generally considered to be completed around the age of twenty, at which time the growth plates close. Then it is no longer possible to grow naturally.
5 feet 9 inches in cm = [(5×12)+9] x 2.54 = 69 x 2.54 = 175.26 cm.
Changes in Boys
They tend to grow most quickly between ages 12 and 15. 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.
Although some men may continue to grow in their 20s, most men's growth plates are closed by 21 years. Hence, it is unlikely for men to grow after 21 years, with some exceptions. In a healthy growth pattern, your bone increases in length due to the growth plates in the bone called epiphyses.
That is really quite short. Not unheard of but not common either. You're a almost a foot and a half shorter than the average of 5″4″ fir girls age 17. In the US at least.
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.
Alas, puberty seldom goes as planned and some children wait for a growth spurt that never seems to come. In extreme cases, this could be due to pituitary disease, ovarian disease, testicular disease, or a long history of taking medications like prednisone for severe asthma.
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.
By the time girls reach age 15 and boys reach age 16 or 17, the growth of puberty has ended for most and they will have reached physical maturity.