a second cousin of mine is in mid puberty and only five-foot-four. his doc measured his wrist and pronounced his growth at an end. his doc’s nurse seems to think he might grow a bit more. the kid’s mom (my cousin) asked me if I knew anything about it–I don’t. Personally, I think five-foot-four is a perfectly acceptable height for a boy, but she is concerned. Should a kid like this spend thousands of dollars and risk his health to grow a couple more inches after years of human growth hormone? Are there other options to kick off another growth spurt? My cousin thanks you.
I grew about three inches between the end of high school and the end of college. Don’t give up hope.
How the heck is that supposed to work?
This is dangerously close to an IMHO topic, but given the current state of medical knowlege, I can’t see any justification for applying growth hormones to a normally developing teenager, even if he is well below median height. The risks of serious, life-long medical consequences are too high.
We need DoctorJ or Qadgop the Mercotan in here.
Five-foot-four is not that short. He’s taller than Michael J. Fox; he’s taller than most women even.
I’m only five-foot-seven myself, and got my last bit of height during college. When I was your cousin’s age I was probably also five-foot-four or even shorter. I find it very unlikely that an MD could declare your cousin “fully grown” without taking X-rays of the long bones.
Why is his mother so hell-bent to make the boy taller than slightly-shorter-than-average? Is there a tradition of basketball play in the family to uphold?
All I can tell you is that there many thousands of grown men out there who are 5’4" and shorter. 5’4" is not an “abnormal” height - that is to say not a health concern in and of itself. Your friend’s doctor certainly knows a lot more about it than I do. Of course, if your friend’s mother is in any way dissatisfied with your friend’s medical care, by all means she should seek second and third opinions.
It’s funny you mentioned 5’4". The “Italian Stallion” stud of our dorm in college was 5’4". Yeah we’d mess with him now and then, but he got the last laugh. That dude had women swarming all over him all the time – his height was no detriment at all in that arena.
Also, FWIW, recently-retired NBA player Muggsy Bogues is 5’3".
Keep us posted in MPSIMS if your friend’s condition or medical situation changes.
a famous story about alan ladd was that he was so short his leading ladies had to stand in a hole in the ground in a two-shot. sly stallone’s a little guy, I believe. To be in movies or television, you need a large head, which tends to go along with a small torso, so a lot of movie stars are small people with large heads.
Growth of long bones in children takes place in a plate of cartilage (the “growth plate”) between the shaft of the bone and the tip (the epiphysis). At the end of adolescence the plate becomes converted to bone and (longitudinal) growth ceases. Presumeably the doctor was trying to evaluate whether the growth plate was still active. Once the plate disappears, I don’t think hormone treatments could have much effect.
Hand x-rays are done to assess whether an individual’s growth plates are closed or not. It also gives an estimate on age based on the bone growth status.
If the growth plates are closed, growth is over, and using growth hormone would only deform him. 5’4" isn’t short.
If the growth plates are not closed, he’ll grow some more, and I wouldn’t recommend GH to someone who’s 5’4" and not done growing yet.
Thanks Colibri and Qadgop for the growth plate explanation. Yet another fact with which to annoy my wife!
This is true. When I got my braces a few months ago the dentist needes to take x-rays of my wrist to see if I would grow any taller and to see if there was a chance thet my jaw would get any larger and eliminate the need for braces. He said that I had most likely reached my full height of five foot nine by looking at an x-ray of my wrist.
Five foot four is not anything to worry about. My grandfather and most of the men on his side of the family never got past five foot five.
My dad was 5’5", and my mom is 5’9". I don’t think height was ever an issue with them. I do know Mom went through pure hell in junior high when she grew six inches during the seventh grade; apparently being a tall girl was supposed to be just as bad as being a short guy.
If I were you, I would BEG them not to mess with his hormones. Some people are just short. Some of us short women rather appreciate that, too, our necks don’t get as sore when we kiss them. 
So, Qadgop, this deal with the wrist bone x-ray? Does it apply to girls as well? My 14 year old daughter is only around 4 foot 9. She also has cerebral palsy, and while shortish is fine (I’m only 5’1 or so myself), I can’t help but think that 4’9 is almost short enough to be a second disablity. Or, maybe I’m doing a tiresome worried mom thing.
BTW, as for the OP – I don’t consider 5’4 too terribly short for a man.
Jess
Jess it applies to both sexes. As described above, it can give an indication of the “bone age” of a young individual, and assesses whether the individual is nearing the end of bone growth. It’s not a routine screening test or anything, but can be useful to answer certain questions. Best talk with your daughter’s pediatrician about any growth concerns.
good luck,
QtM
good evening friends,
I am 5’4" tall, and so far have suffered no ill effects except for tailor bills to get clothing altered. For example: J C Penney catalog lists all of their men’s clothing as “available in regular and tall sizes” regular size being defined as 5’6" and above.
gabbyhayes writes:
> a second cousin of mine is in mid puberty and only five-
> foot-four. his doc measured his wrist and pronounced his
> growth at an end. his doc’s nurse seems to think he might
> grow a bit more. the kid’s mom (my cousin) asked me if I
> knew anything about it–I don’t.
Nitpick: The kid is actually your first cousin once removed, not your second cousin, if he’s the son of your first cousin.
How tall is his father? How tall is his mother? Here’s the best easy way to estimate from their heights how tall he should be as an adult: Add 5 and 1/2 inches to his mother’s height. Average this with his father’s height. If his current height is way off this predicted adult height (say, by at least half a foot) then he’s not up to his genetic potential height and there’s possibly something hormonally wrong. On the other hand, if he’s within three inches of the predicted height and probably even if he’s within six inches of the predicted height, he’s short just because that’s his genetic potential. (Incidentally, the same is true if he’s taller than his predicted height by at least six inches. There’s could be something genetically wrong in that case too, including a tumor in a gland.) But this is just approximate. I’m not a doctor, so you should ask one.
Further note: For a girl, subtract 5 and 1/2 inches from her father’s height. Average this with her mother’s height. This is her predicted adult height.
What the hell is wrong with people who think that shortness is some kind of sickness? People come in a range of heights, weights, skin colors, hair colors, levels of intelligence, etc. for purely genetic reasons, although some of these can be modified slightly by environmental effects. Acting like there’s something wrong because someone is short is just like acting if there’s something wrong if someone is the wrong skin color. This is being a bigot. Excuse me for ranting, but I’m 4’11’ and I’ve had to deal with this nonsense all my life.
Frankly, I find your cousin’s attitude appalling. I presume the kid is otherwise perfectly healthy? What is she complaining about? And what is her attitude going to do to this kid’s self-image?
If he’s really done growing then growth hormone won’t make him taller - but it could distort his face, hands, feet, and jaw, and put him at risk for cardiac disease and sudden death at a young age. Ask your bigot counsin if she feels so strongly about the height issue that she’s willing to risk cutting 30 or 40 years off her son’s life. Growth hormone is a powerful substance and it can have serious side effects if used improperly.
Even though you’re probably right, I don’t think the oevrall tone of your post, let alone calling the mother a bigot is very constructive. Please keep this in mind next time someone asks for help.
“What the hell is wrong with people who think that shortness is some kind of sickness?”
Amen! (Jinty, 5’4 and 3/4" :))
“And what is her attitude going to do to this kid’s self-image?”
Excellent point, Broomstick. She should be doing her damndest building up his confidence. (As an adoptee with a 6’1" brother (not a blood relative) it still knocks me down whenever either of us introduce the other to a third person and I get a “what happened to you?” kind of reaction.)
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner *
**gabbyhayes writes:
> a second cousin of mine is in mid puberty and only five-
> foot-four. his doc measured his wrist and pronounced his
> growth at an end. his doc’s nurse seems to think he might
> grow a bit more. the kid’s mom (my cousin) asked me if I
> knew anything about it–I don’t.
Nitpick: The kid is actually your first cousin once removed, not your second cousin, if he’s the son of your first cousin.
**
That whole “removed” issue is so confusing to people. For the record, first cousins are descendents of your parents’ siblings, second cousins (kissing cousins) are descendents of your grandparents’ siblings. It is estimated that no human on earth is more distantly related than seventh cousin to every other human on earth. Source? Read it somewhere once back during the “six degrees of separation” phase a few years ago.
Removed indicates distance in generations, I believe.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Broomstick *
**
She’s not a bigot. She’s a very sweet person concerned to give her child every advantage in a world swarming with bigots. The idea for growth hormones was mine, not hers. I was specifically interested in learning the drawbacks, which you and others have been kind enough to provide. And I was also interested to know if there were any other options besides “learn to live with it.”
I have heard of one, which hasn’t been mentioned. Orthopedists break the long bone midway along and install a brace with a calibrated screw on it on which the child turns an adjustment screw a quarter turn four times a day. Over the period of a couple of years, it can add a foot to your height. Probably more, but then you’d be risking stress fractures because of the root square law. The device is big and ugly but the procedure is painless, subtle, and effective. I saw a child who had dwarfism who eventually grew to five feet in height–all of it in his leg bones.
That’s the sort of thing I was hoping to hear about.