Losing Height

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Brendalea69
Brendalea69 Posts: 3,863 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 49 years young and I lost 2 inches in height in 2 years. I had a bone density test and the results were normal. So now I need to figure out why I'm losing height so quickly. Has anyone else experienced this?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,962 Member
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    Not for nothing, but I find it depends on who does the measuring and what shoes I'm wearing. They used to have us take off our shoes, but they don't do that any more. It could be part of your problem.

    One year I'll be 5'7" and the next 5'8" - obviously I'm not growing at age 60+.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Focus on your posture when being measured.

    This. I am bad about it. I do have a little bit of scoliosis and when I have low back pain sometimes I relax the muscles enough to take some height off. That said, I will be 60 at my nest physical around New Year's and I expect I will be a little shorter. I have lost a little over an inch in the last 3 or 4 years. If I am "officially" 5'7" this time I will still have a BMI under 25, but barely. I will drop my range back 5 pounds if that happens.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    CarvedTones wrote: »
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Focus on your posture when being measured.

    This. I am bad about it. I do have a little bit of scoliosis and when I have low back pain sometimes I relax the muscles enough to take some height off. That said, I will be 60 at my nest physical around New Year's and I expect I will be a little shorter. I have lost a little over an inch in the last 3 or 4 years. If I am "officially" 5'7" this time I will still have a BMI under 25, but barely. I will drop my range back 5 pounds if that happens.

    I was officially 5’3.75” forever. I am now 5’4”, and 58. I do yoga, I think it has helped with my posture, at least I have not lost height. It’s weird but good.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    Brendalea69 wrote: »
    I am 49 years young and I lost 2 inches in height in 2 years. I had a bone density test and the results were normal. So now I need to figure out why I'm losing height so quickly. Has anyone else experienced this?

    Would the bone density test also have picked up issues like scoliosis and degenerative disc disease?

    If there's nothing medically wrong with you, for a 2 inch drop at age 49, I would suspect errors in measuring.

    But time to take up yoga.
  • OHFlamingo
    OHFlamingo Posts: 239 Member
    edited October 2018
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    I am 71. I have lost 4 inches from my height, 1/2 inch in the last year. I have degenerative arthritis and stenosis and constant pain. Pain doctor changed my meds on Wednesday (they are working!) and I am going for a bone density test Monday (previous have been normal), and then an MRI. Possible injections later, depending on the findings. I do 60 minutes (around 20 miles) daily on my elliptical, and some Pilates exercises. Perhaps OP needs a few X-rays. Or it could be a combination of the shoes and/or posture, as others have said. Definitely investigate further if there is pain, which means your body is trying to tell you something! Good luck!
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I lost 2 inches of height thanks to scoliosis and degenerative disc disease.

    Yeah, same; I didn't mention DDD and herniated discs before but I guess that contributes some. I have been working on the lower back muscles and it takes some of the pain away to have more strength there. I wonder if it has improved my posture enough to not shrink this year...
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    CarvedTones wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I lost 2 inches of height thanks to scoliosis and degenerative disc disease.

    Yeah, same; I didn't mention DDD and herniated discs before but I guess that contributes some. I have been working on the lower back muscles and it takes some of the pain away to have more strength there. I wonder if it has improved my posture enough to not shrink this year...

    Strength training has helped tremendously with my lower back issues. I know you have a spondylopathy, so do I. Mine is, however, specified. My fingernails gave mine away! Anyway, the lower back issues that come along with that are real!
  • Brendalea69
    Brendalea69 Posts: 3,863 Member
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    I was measured the same way each year, I was barefooted and they used an Ultrasonic stadiometer height measuring device. The nurse said it is very accurate. I will be contacting my doctor soon since I'm having some back pain too. Thanks for everyone's feedback!
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited October 2018
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Brendalea69 wrote: »
    I am 49 years young and I lost 2 inches in height in 2 years. I had a bone density test and the results were normal. So now I need to figure out why I'm losing height so quickly. Has anyone else experienced this?

    Would the bone density test also have picked up issues like scoliosis and degenerative disc disease?

    If there's nothing medically wrong with you, for a 2 inch drop at age 49, I would suspect errors in measuring.

    But time to take up yoga.

    I've had two of them over the past 6 or 8 years (for the same reason postmenopausal cis-gender women get them) and neither of mine would have caught scoliosis of degenerative disk disease. That said it depends on what area of the body is being scanned.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I lost 2 inches of height thanks to scoliosis and degenerative disc disease.

    Yeah, same; I didn't mention DDD and herniated discs before but I guess that contributes some. I have been working on the lower back muscles and it takes some of the pain away to have more strength there. I wonder if it has improved my posture enough to not shrink this year...

    Strength training has helped tremendously with my lower back issues. I know you have a spondylopathy, so do I. Mine is, however, specified. My fingernails gave mine away! Anyway, the lower back issues that come along with that are real!

    Yeah, my discs, degeneration and spinal stenosis were diagnosed from an MRI; they are real. Fingernails - is that reactive arthritis? A rheumitologist checked mine for pitting once. That actually wasn't for back issues; that was because of what seems like osteo flares, but in several joints at once and symmetric. I haven't had one of those in over a year and a half; I am hoping weight loss and exercise are the secret sauce.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited October 2018
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    CarvedTones wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I lost 2 inches of height thanks to scoliosis and degenerative disc disease.

    Yeah, same; I didn't mention DDD and herniated discs before but I guess that contributes some. I have been working on the lower back muscles and it takes some of the pain away to have more strength there. I wonder if it has improved my posture enough to not shrink this year...

    Strength training has helped tremendously with my lower back issues. I know you have a spondylopathy, so do I. Mine is, however, specified. My fingernails gave mine away! Anyway, the lower back issues that come along with that are real!

    Yeah, my discs, degeneration and spinal stenosis were diagnosed from an MRI; they are real. Fingernails - is that reactive arthritis? A rheumitologist checked mine for pitting once. That actually wasn't for back issues; that was because of what seems like osteo flares, but in several joints at once and symmetric. I haven't had one of those in over a year and a half; I am hoping weight loss and exercise are the secret sauce.

    Fingernails is psoriatic arthritis. A small percentage of people with it? Their only sign of psoriasis will be on their fingernails, which is likely why your doctor checked your nails for pitting. That's what gave mine away. I had pitting and onycholysis. The only reason I had it checked out is because at the time, I was on an internet group dedicated to manicures and mentioned it and another member of the group had PsA and we got to talking.

    My disc and bone problems were also diagnosed with imaging.

    As for weight loss and exercise, they really help. Flares still happen, but when they do, my main symptom is usually fatigue. I do have some weird inflammatory ish that happens with my optic nerve in one eye. The first time was scary. The second time? Meh.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited October 2018
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I lost 2 inches of height thanks to scoliosis and degenerative disc disease.

    Yeah, same; I didn't mention DDD and herniated discs before but I guess that contributes some. I have been working on the lower back muscles and it takes some of the pain away to have more strength there. I wonder if it has improved my posture enough to not shrink this year...

    Strength training has helped tremendously with my lower back issues. I know you have a spondylopathy, so do I. Mine is, however, specified. My fingernails gave mine away! Anyway, the lower back issues that come along with that are real!

    Yeah, my discs, degeneration and spinal stenosis were diagnosed from an MRI; they are real. Fingernails - is that reactive arthritis? A rheumitologist checked mine for pitting once. That actually wasn't for back issues; that was because of what seems like osteo flares, but in several joints at once and symmetric. I haven't had one of those in over a year and a half; I am hoping weight loss and exercise are the secret sauce.

    Fingernails is psoriatic arthritis. A small percentage of people with it? Their only sign of psoriasis will be on their fingernails, which is likely why your doctor checked your nails for pitting. That's what gave mine away. I had pitting and onycholysis. The only reason I had it checked out is because at the time, I was on an internet group dedicated to manicures and mentioned it and another member of the group had PsA and we got to talking.

    My disc and bone problems were also diagnosed with imaging.

    As for weight loss and exercise, they really help. Flares still happen, but when they do, my main symptom is usually fatigue. I do have some weird inflammatory ish that happens with my optic nerve in one eye. The first time was scary. The second time? Meh.

    My older sister has iritis; not sure if that is the optic nerve related thing or not. I know she has had some issues with the optic nerve.

    Auto immune issues are pretty widespread in my family. My scariest incident was what looked like textbook myositis. I hurt all over if I moved at all, I could barely climb stairs and my blood test came back with a high level of creatine kinase. I was really getting depressed reading what life is like with myositis. Then the inflammation went down and I was somewhat relieved that life could maybe be somewhat normal between spikes. That was ~20 years ago and it has never happened again.

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