Does getting a chiropractic adjustment make you taller

Here is my latest Near Perfect Minute!  Read it or watch it.  Enjoy!

I had a really cool question that came up recently and I wanted to address it because it’s something that I have heard several times over the years.  The question is “will chiropractic make me taller?”

I can remember 25 years ago, my niece Alice,  she was six years old and she just wanted to grow taller and faster.  She was small for her age, already self-conscious about it, and she wanted to grow up. She heard about all the things we do in the office and all of the things that chiropractic can do for you because your body functions better when there is no interference to the nervous system.  She thought, “Hey, maybe I’ll be taller because I’m functioning better.”  I was very sad to have to disappoint her, but chiropractic is not going to make you grow taller than your genes predicate. It just doesn’t work that way.   I told her to blame her short parents.

However, for most of us who are past the growing phase of life, chiropractic really can have a major positive impact on our posture… and height.  Think about someone who’s standing hunched over versus someone who’s standing up nice and straight.  Chiropractic will facilitate you standing up straighter, will help correct the curves in your spine, and will help you adopt this “power posture”.  It’s really interesting how the literature shows that this power posture actually makes you feel better, it makes you more confident.  Plus, all the health benefits of having your spine in line, having no subluxation.  Not having irritation to the nervous system affects your whole body.

Another benefit of a good upright, standing tall posture is that it creates room in the chest cavity, giving your lungs more space to expand.  When that happens, you can breathe deeper and get more oxygen in your body.  Good oxygen levels are essential for life and health.

Many of us have acquired bad technology habits.  We’re always looking down at our phone, tablet or gaming console.  I routinely see young adults in their late teens and twenties who have massive postural distortions.  This type of problems, in that age group, rarely happened when I started practice over 30 years ago.  These bad habits contributes to that hunched over posture.  Head forward.  Shoulders rolling in.  Over time, that posture will create stress on the spine that leads to dysfunction.  The range of problems associated with that extends from cosmetics-it just doesn’t look good- to reduced lung capacity, reduced longevity, body and back pain, tension and stress on the structure.  I see a lot of early signs of arthritis that result from these distortions.

Can chiropractic make you taller?  If you spend a lot of time on the computer, sitting, or driving, then yes, chiropractic will probably help you stand taller.   Here is the plan; First, schedule your technology time She was struggling with her posture.   Second; Get adjusted regularly.  A good friend of mine started setting aside 10 minutes twice a day for Facebook and social media.  And started getting her spine checked several times per week.  She broke the cycle of constantly having to stay on top of everything in her feed.  And her bad posture.  Now, she stands tall.

So, can chiropractic make you taller?  For most of us, the answer is yes.  A combination of adjustments as part of a rehab program that includes specific exercises and activity management will result in better posture and looking taller!

Now, let inject some common sense in this conversation…  Should you attend to your posture sooner or later?  Obviously, the younger you start, the greater the magnitude of possible changes and the resilience of the results!

As always, please reach out if you have any question!

Dr. Jean-Marc Slak

As always, we look forward to seeing you!

Call 781-273-0099 for your appointment.