Keep getting shorter in height!

Years ago I was 5’. I’m still 5’. Someone suggested that I was lying exaggerating. Maybe. Ok, really. It sounds better than 4’11”.
 

Murrmurr said:
My spine specialist told me a 2 to 3 inch loss in height is *normal range* for males over 60. And it is due to spinal compression after years of mostly being upright.

He recommended traction. I bought myself an inversion table. One of the best things I ever bought myself. Hanging upside-down at a 60-degree angle for 10-15 minutes morning and night works best for me. Relieves back pain (temporarily) and I just feel way better afterward.

Can't say for certain that I regained height with the inversion table because I had 2 spinal surgeries not long after I bought it, and gained a little height after each one. But I believe the table probably added an inch or so, permanently.
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I've thought about getting an inversion table, I have lumbar stenosis but not sure if a table would help that. What brand and model do you have?
 

HoneyNut said:
I've lost a couple inches. I'm taking bone medicine nowadays and I hope that will stop or slow the shrinking.

My great-grandmother was still alive when I was a kid (she lived to 91 yrs old) and I remember her as being very short, now I'm wondering if that was just because she was so old, and if so, I wonder how tall she had been.
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What medication is it?

After breaking my back in a few places and having emergency surgery, the surgeon prescribed what he called a "bone-growth steroid". It did way more harm than good, and I had to have corrective surgery years later.

I wish I could remember the name of it. I just know it was steroid plus hormone via a series of injections.

These days I think they prescribe bisphosphonates.
 
I lost two inches too. Now I'm only 5'2. I was first made aware of losing inches when the gastroenterologist's nurse measured me several years ago. I've since lost a little more, according to when my son last measured me. I should have him measure me again. :unsure: I do try to make sure that when I stand up, I stand up straight. I don't want to be a bent over old lady. :LOL:
@Ruthanne I feel ya on that one!
 
Jules said:
Remember when we used to put a mark on the wall as our kids grew taller. It pleased them. Imagine how we’d feel if we were be measured with marks on the wall. 😂
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So when my kids were young we had a growth stick we marked their heights on instead of using a wall or door frame. I still have it stashed away, I think I'll get it out and start recording my shrinkage on it. I think my kids would get a laugh out of finding that after I'm gone.
 
My niece is 5'1. She was dating a guy who was 6'8.

I told her that wasn't a relationship...it was a ventriloquist act! :LOL:
 
I also once discovered that my height had decreased, just under an inch. I was shocked by it. I had a back scan afterwards and it became clear why - my intervertebral discs had greatly reduced in thickness. They'd just erased.

But, interestingly enough, I have a friend who in the distant past also did weightlifting, but more professionally. He used to lift huge weights. So, he is now in his 70s and he only has damage to his knee joints, but his intervertebral discs are unchanged. I was very surprised.
 
C50 said:
I measured myself yesterday and I am two full inches shorter than I was in highschool. That boggles my mind realizing my body and skeletal system have compressed that much.

How about you?
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I was 5 foot 8 inches when I was younger. I'm 79 now and the nurse measured me and I am 5 foot 2 inches, so I have lost 6 inches. I have Scoliosis that keeps getting worse over time. That is a S shape to your spine viewed from the back. Over time it squeezes down like a accordion. I kind of hunch over too.
 

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