Growth Process
Everyone grows and nobody can prevent the growth process, it’s just
a natural part of our lives. Of course, while we all grow, some of us
grow quicker than others. This is because not everyone hits their
growth spurt at the same time. It can happen in short bursts or it can
happen all at once. If there is a delay in growing when it comes to
children, however, they should be seen by a doctor to make sure
there aren’t any problems. Some children experience growth defects
and you want to make sure this is something you can still completely
rule out by visiting your doctor.
Did you know that there are 300 bones in your body when you are
first born? Did you also know that there are only 206 bones by the
time we reach adulthood? Why does this happen? Mainly because
our bones are basically cartilage when we’re babies which is why
baby’s bones are so much more susceptible to break with light
impact. As we get older our bones go through what is called
‘ossification’ where the cartilage turns solid. Eventually all of the
smaller bones will unite and then be one large bone therefore
reducing the total number of bones in our body.
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Growth plates are located at the ends of some of the long bones in
our body. When some of the cartilage doesn’t ossify all at the same
time, these plates continue to make new tissue while the old tissue
turns into bone. Therefore making you grow even more. Once you
stop growing which is usually when you are an adult, the plates will
ossify as well, leaving you at your final height. If something damaging
happens to these growth plates while you are still young, your growth
could be stunted and could cause some bones to be more mature
than others, and some longer than others.
You can actually estimate the potential height of a child by watching
their growth pattern. A female will usually have a full height of double
her height when she is three years old. A male will usually have a full
height of double his height when he is three years and three months
old.
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