Anatomy of the Spine

In the lumbar area of the spine, there are 5 cartilage discs (made of fibrocartilage) and they are naturally two to three times thicker than the rest of the discs which are located in the middle & upper back.  Since the lumbar discs are bigger, they are more flexible and are easily influenced by such stretching & pulling forces caused by inverted sit-ups.  Therefore, almost 90% of your cartilage disc thickening will occur in the lumbar area.

According to the human growth medical research findings of Dr Ichiro Kawaguchi of Tokyo Research Laboratory of the National Health Department and Dr A. Kawata from the Kyoto University, human height is not determined by genetic factor alone but

is strongly influenced by the effects of certain hormones on the development of the 26 skeletal bones and the cartilageneous portions of the 62 bones of the lower body. The stimulation of the pituitary gland would increase hormonal production, which would then spur the growth of the cartilageneous portions of the bones of the lower body, ultimately leading to height increase.

Intensive scientific research has also proven that most young adults can still grow a few inches taller even after the bones in their lower body have become ossified (commonly known as "bone plate is fused").

This is because besides the length of the femur bone (thighbone), shinbone, and other bones in the lower body, the length of the spinal column in the upper body also significantly contributes to human height (about 35% of the total height).

By performing inverted sit-ups with weights daily, the 5 cartilage discs in the lumbar area will go through the tear-repair process as they will grow 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm within 6 to 12 months. At the same time, the muscle mass in the abdominal and back area will increase significantly as they contribute another 0.5 cm to 1 cm in growth.

Human spinal column consists of 33 separate bone segments known as vertebrae held together by ligaments (tough and fibrous tissue). Out of these 33 vertebrae, only the lowest 9 are fused into two immovable bones, the sacrum and the coccyx, forming the back of the pelvis.

All the other 24 vertebrae are permanently movable and thus will never be fused. These 24 vertebrae are the 7 cervical (neck), 12 thoracic (back of chest), and 5 lumbar (loin).

Located between each of these 24 vertebrae are cartilaginous pads called discs. The thickness of the disks determines the length of the spinal column and directly influences the height. There are totally 25 disks, their combined length accounts 25% of your total height. Since these disks are non-fusible cartilages, they can constantly grow thicker under the stimulation of bending forces by performing inverted sit-ups with weights.  The thicker those disks are, the longer your spinal column is and the taller you become.

Anatomy of the Back

Your spine is made up of the following components:

1) Vertebrae - the bones that make up your spine
2) Nerves - your entire nerve system runs through your spine
3) Discs - spongy material that separates your vertebrae, allowing the nerves to run between each bone segment. Discs act like shock absorbers and allow the spine to flex.

The main function of your discs is to act as shock absorbers and provide separation between each vertebrae. The outer layers of your discs are formed from tough cartilage. The inner core of your disc is a jelly-like nucleus.

In total, your discs account for one-quarter the length of your vertebral column- 4.50" to 6" (12 to 15 cm) for most people. The disc acquires its nourishment through fluid-attracting and fluid-absorbing qualities of its jelly-like nucleus.

With no blood supply of its own, the disc is dependent on sponge action for attracting and absorbing nutrients from adjacent tissues. During non-weight bearing activities (sleeping) the discs expand as they soak up fluid, increasing the length of the spine by as much as one inch overnight. During weight bearing activities (sitting, standing, exercising), this fluid is squeezed back into the adjacent soft tissue.

Your vertebra are supported and moved by many different muscles. Muscles are used for three basic functions; support, movement, and posture control. If muscles are tight or weak, they create or worsen back pain. Joints are controlled by at least two sets of muscles, flexors which bend the joint, and extensors which straighten it. In addition, most joints have rotator muscles that twist and rotate your bones. Good posture is only possible if the flexors, extensors, and rotators are in proper balance.

Your paraspinal muscles (which run parallel to your spine) rotate your spine, bend it backwards, and sideways, and influence posture by creating and maintaining the curves of your spine. Your erector spine muscles are involved in movement and run the length of your spine. These muscles help you to bend over by resisting the force of gravity, and to straighten up by contracting and exerting great compressive force on your spine.

Your abdominal muscles play an important role in helping to support the spine by maintaining pressure inside the abdomen. This pressure is an essential measure of counter support to the spine.  Your psoas muscles (hip flexors) are a large group of muscles in the abdomen. These muscles help to flex your hips when walking or climbing stairs. They play an important role in maintaining posture for sitting and standing.
Intravertebral joints are supported by ligaments, tough and inelastic fibers which support the spine and hold it together by allowing only a limited range of movement in any one direction. Ligaments require regular movement and loading, otherwise they will eventually become stiff and weak.

Sky’s x-rays of the spine

1. If I can grow a few centimeters somewhere in the near future, I’d post both before and after x-rays on my website so that others will have that needed inspiration to work harder.

2. I’m sorting out the x-rays of the shin bone and the spine.

3. This is my “before” x-ray of my lumbar spine. If I were to grow taller in the near future, I’ll take some “after” x-rays of the lumbar spine to prove that they can be thickened over time with vigorous exercises. Note that there are 5 cartilage discs in the lumbar area and they are 2 to 3 times thicker than the rest of the discs in the spine. (There are 6 other x-rays of my spine which are not posted here).

Kinetic Inversion

1. For example, if you were to bend a twig (of a tree), it’s much easier to break it when you bend it because the bending force is much more powerful since two forces are acting in opposite directions. The twig easily breaks apart!

2. Now, by applying this “bending force”, we hope to vigorously stretch the spine & the muscles in the back. It’s unlikely that the spine will be torn apart like a twig; however, this bending force should be very effective in thickening abdominal muscles & cartilage discs. The twig-breaking example aims to illustrate that inverted sit-ups with weights is very powerful exercise in stretching or developing muscle and cartilage.

Stationary Inversion

1. Given the same twig, instead of bending it, try to break it by pulling or stretching each ends apart from each other. It doesn’t matter if you pull it horizontally or vertically, it’s difficult to break the twig by stretching ends apart. However, it’s a lot easier to break if you were to apply a bending force.

2. Given the twig example, we can conclude that stretching is a very WEAK exercise because it’s unable to stimulate that needed “bending force” as compared to inverted sit-ups.

Spine

Methods

Success Rate

Duration

Tested

Level of

Difficulty

Sky’s Lumbar Routine

Very High (Athletes)

Medium (Others)

1 month

Easy

Stationary Inversion

Low (Athletes)

Very Low (Others)

3 months
plus 2 weeks

Easy

Stretching journals, downloads, & exercises

Medium (Athletes)

Very Low (Others)

3 weeks

Easy

Alexander Technique, Yoga, Pilates

Medium (Athletes)

Very Low (Others)

3 weeks

Easy

Swimming

Low (Athletes)

Very Low (Others)

4 weeks

Easy

Pull ups

High (Athletes)

Low (Others)

3 weeks

Easy