A Chinese teen who participated in a "body lengthening" program for six months grew taller, only to see the gains vanish as soon as the treatment ended.
Sixteen-year-old Huang, from Xiamen in Fujian province, was enrolled in a therapy, which claimed it would increase height. It did. He reportedly grew from 165 cm to 166.4 cm during six months, witnessing an increase of about 1.4 centimetres, according to the South China Morning Post.
However, two weeks after the treatment ended, Huang's height dropped back to 165 cm. His father said that he filed a complaint against the clinic that treated Huang, expressing disappointment.
The procedure reportedly cost approximately 16,700 Yuan (around US$2,350 or Rs 2,07,035). According to Huang's father, the clinic offered him a full refund, indicating that the change was not maintained after treatment.
The father took his son for treatment once a week or every two weeks, which involved stretching his legs and "activating" his knees using medical equipment. The clinic further informed that the goal of the treatment was to make a youngster grow taller by stimulating their knee bones.
But medical experts responding to the case have expressed scepticism. Wu Xueyan, an endocrinologist at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, asserted that forceful stretching was not a scientific method of height gain.
Experts have warned that after certain growth stages, the potential for the human body to permanently increase height is limited.
"Humans are not noodles. It is unscientific to stretch a person longer," Wu told the outlet, in response to claims that physical stretching therapies produce lasting gains.
Wu concurred that stretching can raise a person's height by half to one centimetre. He, however, added, "A person is half to one centimetre taller in the morning than they are in the afternoon."
According to Wu, a person's own weight shortens their spine during the day and causes it to relax at night, which results in an increase in height.
Huang's father argued that the procedure should have been effective because the clinic had assured him of obtaining longer-lasting results. The clinic then told him Huang was "too old to be corrected," which could be seen as a consequence of Huang not maintaining his height following the procedure.
Huang senior claimed that when they missed an appointment, his son's height decreased, but the facility claimed that this was solely because the treatment was incomplete.
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