Is shrinking with age inevitable?

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I'm only 5.2"!!!

Yes I would like to know. For a friend, of course.

I was measured at by a physio im now 4ft 11 i used to be 5ft so yeah I think so sadly

I think its true. My grandmother swore blind she was 5ft 4. I was 5ft 1 and she was at least 2 inches shorter than me.

To be honest I used to be a definite 5ft 1 inch but on the family height wall recently I measured just about reaching 5ft if I stretched 🤔 but more like 4ft 11

I think if you do excercises like Pilates, it helps prevent that.
I haven’t shrunk at all, friends of mine have. Not much, but significant.

The skeleton shrinks as we age so yes, a certain about of 'shrinkage' is inevitable. Strong/dense bones help prevent it. We lose muscle as we age too, but resistance exercise can help with that . Dental enamel shrinks too, which is another reason we run into dental problem as we age.

It ain't easy.

I am not even 50 yet give me a few years and I will be an actual little old lady

You think that's bad - wait until your gums start shrinking. Don't know of any exercise that'll fix that.

You do but later in life ,when I was a child my Gran was 5' 7" the same height as me, when she died in her early 90s I towered over her,. She was extremely active until her mid 80s so it wasn't lack of exercise

My DM who’s 57 has shrunk an inch and a half, she was 5”2 when I reached 5”2 (still am) but has been gradually shrinking for a few years and is now 5” 1/2

You need to do Pilates. Then it's not inevitable!

What?? At what age will this start happening?

I started 2017 at 5 ft 8 1/4", was measured in May as 5 ft 8 1/2" and re-measured in November at 5 ft 8 3/4". So, I think that I'm still growing

My mum used to be 5'4" and now she's about 5'2" at most. She's 69 with back issues & osteoporosis.

My nan was 5'1" & shrank to about 4'10" ish. Because she became very bent over as well in her posture aged 91 before she died she could hardly lift her head up.

I really hope not, I’m only 4ft10”😥 but I think my feet are shrinking though, used to be able to buy size three from most shops & they would fit, not now though am currently a size two not sure how that happened or if vanity sizing has come in to play with footwear now as well.

It really doesn't have to be inevitable. Posture has a lot to do with it. Look at the posture of older people, quite often they are very hunched over. Doesn't have to be this way.

My DH has been doing Pilates assiduously for over 10 years. He has lost at least 3 inches in height. HTH.

This is caused by the collagen and cartilage between your vertebra shrinking. If you get osteoporosis your vertebra crumble or break which is why some women get hunch backs. Ask for a DEXA bone scan if you have a family history of osteoporosis as it can be hereditary.

Tierra sounds like your gran had osteoporosis as well -(and your mum)- you need to take care and ask your GP for a scan if you are 45 +.

Yep - my mum still says she’s 5’8 but she’s now 5’6

I have got osteopaenia caused by the sodium valproate I used to take for epilepsy.

I take adcal d3 & on my 2nd dexa scan my bone scores had improved but I've literally shrunk by 1/4 inch.

I hope not! I'm only 4ft 8 to start with

But I do think it happens.

Regular iyengar Yoga made me taller by 1.5 inches!
It's the curvature of the spine that shrinks you.

My grandma is being assessed for osteoporosis. She was measured and found that she'd shrunk 4 inches between 65 and 75.

I think it's to do with the spine compressing as we age.

My grandmother was always a lot shorter than me, and I recall fondly an elderly gent telling me my grandmother was such a beautiful woman, so tall end elegent. I was also confused by it though as she wasn't tall. So I asked my aunt who said, yes she was about 5ft 9. I'm five eight.

When she died and they laid her out effectively she regained most of the lost inches as basically they stretch the body straight. My aunt remembered my comment and said, you can see how tall she was now with a sad smile.

Anyways, I say I'm five eight, I was five eight, I think I might be shorter now and more five seven and I'm 49. I'm not sure and would need to be measured again. The thing is I have a short body and long legs, so I don't need my body to shrink any more as I will just look even weirder than normal 🤣