Does Basketball Make You Taller?

It is something everyone knows that basketball is synonymous with tallness. While “normal” height individuals do play the game, observation reveals that most players are taller than average.

It might make you wonder, if by any chance, whether playing basketball helped some players to grow taller. You are more likely to have that thought if you are someone with some interest in increasing your height.

Will this sport likely be helpful for achieving your goal of becoming taller? Read on to learn more.

What Do Medical Experts Say?

If you are to ask for your doctor’s view on how likely you are to grow taller playing basketball, there is every chance that the response will not be affirmative. Scientists are not convinced that such thing is possible.

You are certainly going to have a hard time trying to find research that suggests the possibility of increasing your height with basketball.

There is practically no medical proof of this being possible.

Genetics largely determines how tall you can become. If you have reached your maximum potential height, as established by your genes, you might as well just give up the idea of adding more.

Basketball just happens to be a game mostly for tall people. We can describe it as a “self-selecting” sport. Your chances of being considered to take part, especially at a professional level, improve the taller you are.

Actually, taller individuals aren’t necessarily the best at the game. There are shorter, even shorter than average, individuals that can be too hot to handle for opponents.

But since basketball is a sport that involves dropping the ball into a high basket, it is commonly thought to be best suited for tall persons. Coaches are usually ready to such people, who may lack the skills, how to play the game.

So, essentially, being tall may make it easier for you to become a basketball player. The reverse is not always correct, if at all.

This is clearly a major reason why medical experts are quick to discount the idea that the sport might increase your height.

What Makes Some Think Basketball Can Increase Height?

Considering the rarity of medical proof, you might wonder why some people claim that the sport can make you taller. Those who think this way seem to have a point, if we must say.

Let’s consider some of these reasons that appear to be valid.

Stretching

You are most likely to come across suggestion of stretching exercises if you search around for information on things you can do to become taller. These may indeed help you to appear taller.

Some medical experts will more readily agree about stretching being helpful than when you talk about basketball helping you grow taller.

Compression of the spine – effect of gravity – is a reason an average person looks shorter than they really are. There is this common line of thought by experts that people are usually taller in the mornings because of this.

Activities that involve stretching help to deal with pressure on your spine. This gives room for cartilage discs between bones to expand. This can be useful for expressing your full natural height.

Basketball involves regular stretching, both before and during the game. The stretches help to extend your vertebrae, limbs, and muscles. You may grow taller as a result.

Jumping

A critical aspect of basketball that people often talk about as being beneficial for increasing height is jumping.

One of the ways this is thought to help is by improving the flow of blood to the spine and legs. It improves circulation to growth palates, with this being potentially beneficial for promoting height.

Also, basketball, like some other forms of exercise, is believed to have effects on some of the numerous nerves in the body. Among these are nerves in the feet. These are connected to the thyroid and pituitary glands in the upper part of the body.

Constant jumping generates electric current that influences your brain to promote release of growth hormone. This substance is crucial for growth and development. For this reason, some conclude that the sport can promote height increase.

Stimulation of growth plates

This effect is tied to jumping. When playing basketball, the effect of gravity of the spine and limbs is practically nullified when you jump. The growth plates compress, however, when you return to the ground.

That might not sound like a great thing for someone who wishes to grow taller this way. But it could actually be beneficial.

It has been theorized that the constant jumping may cause growth plates to fracture. This allows more room for natural distraction.

In other words, it promotes similar effects as distraction osteogenesis or limb-lengthening procedure. The injury causes new bone to grow and, thus, leads to increase in height.

Will You Grow Taller Playing Basketball?

It is neither here nor there as to whether you will be able to increase your height or not playing basketball. It all depends on your current age or the status of your growth plates.

In the case of the stretching aspect of the game, this may help you become taller. But this doesn’t mean that it will promote new growth. Rather, it can be useful for expressing your maximum height.

The theory of constant jumping causing growth plate fractures and promoting height is more likely to apply to younger people – children and teenagers. Such persons do not yet have fully ossified or fused growth plates and, so, can still grow taller.

The fractures that may occur from jumping can delay ossification. They can keep growth plates that are about to fuse to remain open a little longer. This allows room for new bones to possibly grow and increase height.

However, older individuals with fused growth plates can no longer enjoy this benefit. They only have options such as stretching, height supplements such growth factor plus and painful limb-lengthening surgery to resort to.

Chances are that you might only succeed, as an adult, at stunting your growth with basketball. It may cause your spine and limbs to compress.

At least two studies have shown that axial compression of the growth plates or legs will hurt your chances of growing taller.

Conclusion

While medical experts do not seem to be really that much in support of growing taller playing basketball, certain arguments such as the ones discussed here makes it seem feasible.

Young people who play the game might become taller. The constant jumping may cause fractures that delay the fusing of growth plates, thus promoting new bone growth.

But if you are an adult, the only real benefits you can get from the sport is stretching and, maybe, increased growth hormone production. These might be useful for increasing or, better still, expressing your full height.

We can say, however, that basketball is not the only way of stretching or improving growth hormone production. There are numerous exercises that achieve similar effects.

By combining this sport or any other forms of exercises with a supplement like Growth Factor Plus, who knows you might succeed in your efforts to increase your height.