Journalism of Courage
A 16-year-old boy in southeastern China who underwent a six-month body lengthening therapy saw his height increase by 1.4 centimetres, only to shrink back to his original size within two weeks of stopping treatment, according to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The teenager, surnamed Huang from Xiamen in Fujian province, received the therapy between February and August this year at a cost of 16,700 yuan ($2,350). His father said his height rose from 165 cm to 166.4 cm by August, but quickly returned to 165 cm once the sessions ended.
Huang’s father lodged a complaint with the institution that administered the treatment. The staff there reportedly told him his son was “too old to be corrected” and offered a full refund. The father criticised the institution, saying they should have disclosed this earlier.
The boy had been taken for treatment once every one to two weeks, according to SCMP. Procedures included leg stretching and the use of medical equipment to “activate” the knees. According to Huang, the teenager’s height would shrink whenever they missed a session.
Medical experts have dismissed the practice as unscientific. Wu Xueyan, an endocrinologist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said forced stretching cannot fundamentally increase a person’s height. “A person is half to one centimetre taller in the morning than in the afternoon,” Wu said, according to SCMP, noting that daily spinal compression and relaxation can account for minor changes. “Humans are not noodles. It is unscientific to stretch a person longer.”
Wu said exercise, quality sleep, and natural growth factors are the only effective ways to support height development, adding that genetics play the biggest role.
The story sparked reactions online, with many criticising institutions for exploiting parental anxiety. The institution’s name has not been revealed, and it remains unclear whether it was qualified to perform such treatments.
