Can Pilates Make You Taller?

I've always heard that Pilates can make you taller. I simply assumed this was because it helped improve your posture so you stand taller, but I figured that after adolescence it was pretty much impossible to physically grow. Yesterday I was teaching a female client in her 60's who told me that her doctor assured her she had grown an inch in the past year. As luck would have it, on the Today Show this morning, they did a segment on why women shrink as they age and it got me thinking...can Pilates actually add height? After doing a bit of research I found out that Pilates can indeed add physical height to your frame. There are a few reasons for this. Of course Pilates makes you aware of your posture and you do stand taller, with your shoulders back and neck long which can give the appearance of height. Additionally, as your strengthen your core, the abdominal muscles actually help hold you in place in an improved posture position. Most importantly, Pilates helps create space between the vertebrae by strengthening the muscle tissue, which prevents the vertebrae from compacting the discs. As I've discussed in earlier posts, the stronger your muscles, the stronger your bones. Stronger bones are obviously much less likely to become brittle and develop osteoporosis. Take Pilates and stand taller!