Can You Keep Your Growth Plates Open?

There is no proven way for a healthy teen to keep growth plates open longer, and once they have closed they can't be reopened. Closure is triggered mainly by estrogen at the end of puberty, in boys as well as girls, and no food, stretch, sleep schedule or supplement changes that timing. What you can control is giving your body what it needs to reach its full genetic height while your plates are still open.

Why growth plates close

Growth plates are layers of cartilage near the ends of long bones. During puberty, rising sex hormones first speed up growth (the growth spurt) and then make the plates mature and fuse into solid bone.

The key hormone for that final step is estrogen. Girls make it in the ovaries; boys make it by converting part of their testosterone with an enzyme called aromatase. Researchers know estrogen's role is essential because people whose bodies can't make or respond to it keep open growth plates into adulthood. That is a rare medical condition, not something you can copy, and it comes with weak bones and other health problems.

So the timing of closure is set mostly by when your puberty starts and how fast it moves, which often runs in families.

Can you reopen growth plates?

No. A closed growth plate is no longer cartilage; it has become part of the bone. Nothing turns it back.

The best evidence is what happens with too much growth hormone. When a child's body makes far too much of it before the end of puberty, the child grows unusually tall (gigantism). When the same thing happens in an adult whose plates have closed, they do not get taller; instead their hands, feet and facial bones enlarge (acromegaly). If even very high growth hormone levels can't restart height growth, a supplement or exercise can't either.

What about "growth plate reactivation" methods?

Online videos promote jumping routines, hanging, special joint-loading exercises and pills that supposedly "reactivate" growth plates. None of these has been shown in research to reopen growth plates or add height in adults. Stretching can make you stand a little taller for a short while by decompressing your spine, which is not the same as growing. See does stretching make you taller? and does HGH make you taller?

Can you delay growth plate closure?

Not with lifestyle

No diet, workout plan, sleep routine or supplement has been shown to keep healthy growth plates open longer. Eating too little or training extremely hard can delay puberty, but that slows growth instead of adding to it.

Medical treatments doctors sometimes use

Some medicines do affect the timing of puberty or growth plate closure. Pediatric endocrinologists use them only for specific conditions, after testing, with close monitoring. They are not "height boosters," and none of them should ever be used without a specialist.

What can close growth plates early

A few things are known to shorten the growing window, and these you can avoid:

• Anabolic steroids and testosterone taken without a medical reason. In teens, the artificially high hormone levels can signal the bones to stop growing early, leading to shorter adult height.
• Untreated precocious puberty. If puberty starts too early, growth can stop too soon. That's why early signs of puberty in young children should be checked.
• Some growth plate injuries. Most heal well, but rarely an injury leaves a bony bridge that stops part of a plate from growing. Get injuries near joints checked and followed up.

More on this in what stunts growth.

What you can do while your growth plates are open

You can't change your genetic potential, but you can make sure nothing holds you back from reaching it:

• Sleep 8 to 10 hours a night (the CDC recommendation for ages 13 to 17). See does sleep make you taller?
• Eat enough, and eat well. Not getting enough calories, protein or other nutrients can slow growth. Include calcium and vitamin D sources such as dairy or fortified alternatives. Our guide to foods that help you grow has ideas.
• Move every day. The CDC recommends at least 60 minutes of activity a day for ages 6 to 17, including bone-strengthening activities like running and jumping at least 3 days a week.
• Treat health problems. Chronic conditions and hormone problems can slow growth, and treating them helps.
• Stand tall. Good posture won't make your bones longer, but undoing a slouch shows your full height.
• Track your growth. Measuring every few months shows whether you are still growing and how fast.

When to see a doctor

Talk to a doctor, who may refer you to a pediatric endocrinologist, if:

• Signs of puberty appear before 8 in a girl or 9 in a boy
• A boy has no signs of puberty by about 14, or a girl by about 13
• Your growth has slowed sharply or you have dropped across percentile lines on the growth chart
• You are much shorter than your parents' heights would predict

These are the situations where testing, and sometimes treatment, can make a real difference.

The takeaway

You can't keep growth plates open or reopen them, and anyone selling a way to do it is selling a myth. While your plates are open, sleep, food, activity and good health help you reach your full height. To see how much growth you may have left, use the height calculator or take the Am I Done Growing? quiz.