Height of Players (not cinder blocks) Factors

[NM Duke Fan]

Since this is a fairly frequent topic, I thought I would share my thoughts on this from over the years. i have worked with quite a few athletes as a health care expert, and am also a life-long scientist and sportsman.

I have noticed that shoe brands do vary. I have had some basketball shoes that without a doubt added a bit to my height.

What kind of orthotics are allowed during these measurements. Some of the orthotics out there are quite thick.

Speaking of which: An additional factor is arch support, and some orthotics create quite an arch lift; some too much in my opinion. Many athletes have rather fallen arches, and if they are standing barefoot, their effective height is lessened as the arch collapses and they lose a bit of height.

This arch collapse can be more pronounced if a player weighs 300 pounds compared to 170! A factor in weak arches is that most people no longer walk around barefoot on the grass, which helps to keep the arches strong. I walk barefoot some just about everyday, and my arches are higher than a few years ago, even though I put on some additional muscle weight. Highly beneficial for the feet to strengthen them!

All of us are taller when we wake up in the morning, if we have slept horizontally. (Those who sleep hanging upside down are probably even taller in the AM!) This allows the spine to decompress. If a player was measured in the early AM the measurement may be at least a half inch more of height, in some cases even more, compared to late evening.

Those who use an inversion table regularly to decompress the spine tend to have a bit more height than they otherwise would. I personally hang from my knees on a monkey bar at the nearby park everyday, and this has added a good half inch to my height, even though I am in my late 50's.

As NBA players get older, they can get a bit shorter unless they are decompressing after games. All those years of pounding takes a toll. Those who eat lots of food that help maintain the discs do better, i.e., bone broths that contain lots of minerals and amino acids like proline from the tendons and ligaments. Paleo people got a lot of this in their diets. Modern people mostly just eat the meat. And Wolves likely had fewer hip and spine problems than do modern dogs!

People in general do tend to get shorter over time from the effects of gravity and wear and tear..But as outlined above, there are available tools to keep your "chin up!"

[Saratoga2]

Since this is a fairly frequent topic, I thought I would share my thoughts on this from over the years. i have worked with quite a few athletes as a health care expert, and am also a life-long scientist and sportsman.

I have noticed that shoe brands do vary. I have had some basketball shoes that without a doubt added a bit to my height.

What kind of orthotics are allowed during these measurements. Some of the orthotics out there are quite thick.

Speaking of which: An additional factor is arch support, and some orthotics create quite an arch lift; some too much in my opinion. Many athletes have rather fallen arches, and if they are standing barefoot, their effective height is lessened as the arch collapses and they lose a bit of height.

This arch collapse can be more pronounced if a player weighs 300 pounds compared to 170! A factor in weak arches is that most people no longer walk around barefoot on the grass, which helps to keep the arches strong. I walk barefoot some just about everyday, and my arches are higher than a few years ago, even though I put on some additional muscle weight. Highly beneficial for the feet to strengthen them!

All of us are taller when we wake up in the morning, if we have slept horizontally. (Those who sleep hanging upside down are probably even taller in the AM!) This allows the spine to decompress. If a player was measured in the early AM the measurement may be at least a half inch more of height, in some cases even more, compared to late evening.



Those who use an inversion table regularly to decompress the spine tend to have a bit more height than they otherwise would. I personally hang from my knees on a monkey bar at the nearby park everyday, and this has added a good half inch to my height, even though I am in my late 50's.

As NBA players get older, they can get a bit shorter unless they are decompressing after games. All those years of pounding takes a toll. Those who eat lots of food that help maintain the discs do better, i.e., bone broths that contain lots of minerals and amino acids like proline from the tendons and ligaments. Paleo people got a lot of this in their diets. Modern people mostly just eat the meat. And Wolves likely had fewer hip and spine problems than do modern dogs!

People in general do tend to get shorter over time from the effects of gravity and wear and tear..But as outlined above, there are available tools to keep your "chin up!"

Still doesn't explain listing DeMarcus Nelson at 6'4" while he measured 6'1" in the NBA pre-draft camp. Sounds more like what is listed in the roster is more to do with what the player wants next to his name and not to do with fact.

[rsvman]

I don't think hanging upside down is a particularly good idea. Any stretch it gives the spine is temporary. Potential problems include increasing the pressure within the eyes, increasing blood pressure, GE reflux, perhaps worsening hiatal hernias, etc.
I'll stick with gradual shrinking over the years.

[NM Duke Fan]

I don't think hanging upside down is a particularly good idea. Any stretch it gives the spine is temporary. Potential problems include increasing the pressure within the eyes, increasing blood pressure, GE reflux, perhaps worsening hiatal hernias, etc.
I'll stick with gradual shrinking over the years.

I do understand your concerns, and certainly someone with challenges in the areas you mentioned should be cautious. As with all things in health care, research and individual tailoring is highly recommended. Inversion tables, however, have worked wonders for good friends of mine in their sixties with long-standing back injuries, and the spine stretch has added a full inch to their height over time.

I don't have a table, and certainly hanging from the knees is a lot more challenging. But to add to the challenge and to not get bored I have started doing vertical crunches while hanging, up to 40 now. In my case, no negative side effects that I can tell so far. BP remains at 110/70 at 58 years old, eyesight even better (I still don't need even reading glasses), some hair is growing back on the top of my head from increased blood flow. Perhaps greater clarity of thought and memory too.

Speaking of inreased blood flow to the head: My father was adept at springing into a handstand and walking a hundred meters without stopping or falling over, and he never developed eye problems, blood pressure problems, or digestive problems, even in his 70's.

BTW, another factor in player's height is that some have far worse posture than others. I see more and more young people with text neck and/or computer hunchback. There are postural realignment methods to help the proprioceptive mechanisms of the body get the body back into a more plumb position.

One more factor is that brand new basketball shoes likely add a tiny bit of height to a player compared to old favorites that have been subjected to immense pounding on the courts over time, due to some degree of extant structural failure. I would bet some materials science major has thought about such things.