Why is there a reduction in height as age advances?
SOMESWARA RAO Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh The fact, that we decline in our height as we age, is true. It may not be very much, but there is significant decline in height. There are several factors responsible for this, right from hydration, nutrition, osteoporosis, etc., and apart from that our day to day activities determine the maintenance of height. These are: changes in posture, changes in the growth of vertebrae (the bones that make up the spine), a forward bending of the spine, what is called senile kyphosis, compression of the discs between the vertebrae, causing reduction in the total height of the vertebral column. There is a diurnal, explained as day and night variation of the height, due to disc swelling due to hydration of the disc, (in the day time and evening they are turgid and increase in height is seen up to 3 cm in total). Other factors: increased curvature of the hips and knees, senile changes of genu varum, decreased joint space in the trunk and extremities, joint
