Our legs are made up of three long bones — the femur (or thigh bone), tibia (or shin bone) and fibula. On both ends of each one of them, there are growth plates that are responsible for the creation of new bone tissue.
The growth plates close after puberty, which brings the lengthening of the legs to an end. It can be very frustrating for those growth plates to stop working while the legs are still short. That’s because it means that the legs will be short forever. Fortunately, there are many steps that may be taken to make the legs longer after puberty.
So, how can you get longer legs after puberty?
There are various ways to lengthen the legs after the growth plates have closed. Microfractures may be made to stimulate new bone tissue growth. Pressure in the leg joints may be relieved to let the cartilages expand. The illusion of having longer legs may be created, which can be done in many different ways.
No matter where on the planet your legs may take you, one thing stays true: having long legs is a huge advantage. As a matter of fact, a study that involved more than 200 men and women found out that people whose legs are about 5% longer than average are regarded as more attractive than the rest, so it does make sense to get longer legs.
There is no need for you to be as tall as a supermodel to be considered as physically desirable. In many instances, having long legs (and showing them off, too) can make you instantly go from uninteresting to striking!
If you are past your puberty and you are not happy with the length of your legs, read on. Below are some of the ways to make your legs longer, even if your growth plates are already closed.
Undergo the Surgery and Make Some Sacrifices
Limb lengthening surgery — this is the name of the surgical procedure that you may undergo if you want to get longer legs after puberty. It’s also called cosmetic height surgery or stature lengthening.
It was back in the 1950s in Russia when limb lengthening was invented. Although many people pay for it to grow taller, the surgery was originally intended for correcting the length of the legs. From then until today, it is performed on individuals with limb length discrepancies due to congenital disability, disease, or badly healed fracture.
The treatment is a complex solution to make uneven legs have equal lengths. It involves surgically cutting the leg bone, usually the femur or thigh bone, in half and then gradually pulling it apart.
Limb lengthening surgery is so gradual that each adjustment should not create a gap that’s over a millimeter per day — the adjustment is usually made 4 times a day, each gap measuring 1/4 of a millimeter. The goal is to allow bone tissue to grow in the gap, thus healing the surgical cut. It can take several months to complete the whole process.
While effective, the problem with limb lengthening surgery is that it’s so expensive. Just like other surgical treatments, it comes with risks and complications. What’s more, you will not be allowed to put any weight on your legs for a few months.
For about 6 to 8 months after the surgery, you will have to use a walker or crutches. You will also have to go through physical therapy for several weeks to learn how to walk properly.
Create Microfractures and Use an Inversion Table
Fret not if you don’t have the money and the guts to undergo limb lengthening surgery to make your legs longer after puberty. There is a way to mimic the effect of the said treatment but without involving a scalpel. It’s a two-part process that entails working out intensely and then using a device called an inversion table.
Let’s discuss the first part, which is creating micro-fractures in the bones. Just like what the name suggests, microfractures are tiny breaks in the bones. Creating them encourages new bone tissue to fill the gaps.
Working out is what you need to do to create microfractures in your leg bones. However, not every exercise can provide the necessary effect — high-impact exercises are the right ones for the job.
Some very good examples include running, sprinting, and jumping. It’s also important that you engage in high-impact exercises for several minutes.
The second part of this particular way to lengthen your legs after puberty is using an inversion table. Designed to help reduce back pain as well as treat certain problems concerning the spine, an inversion table helps to enhance microfractures in your bones, thus lengthening the legs.
Your body will try to heal those microfractures by promoting the growth of new bone tissue. By the way, using the device also helps to lengthen the spine.
If you don’t have the budget for an inversion table, worry not. That’s because you may simply get your hands on a pair of ankle weights. After participating in high-impact exercises, you should wear ankle weights while sitting on a chair or surface high enough to keep your feet from touching the floor.
Wear a Pair of Gravity Boots and Hang Upside Down
Other than lying on an inversion table and strapping on ankle weights, there is another way to boost the effects of creating microfractures in the bones of your legs: wearing a pair of gravity boots and hanging upside down.
Most people who are into all-natural ways to grow taller are aware that hanging from a bar with the help of gravity boots causes the spine to become decompressed, which is the reason why height increase can be achieved.
Gravity boots counteract the shortening effect of gravity on your spine. It’s exactly due to this why, in outer space where there is no gravity, astronauts tend to be taller than when they’re on earth.
There is another reason why wearing gravity boots, and hanging upside down can help you grow taller, and it’s by stretching your legs. This allows the cartilages in your ankles, knees, and hip joints to expand, thus causing your legs to grow longer.
Being upside down for 3 to 5 minutes a day is important for you to see results. However, if you are new to the use of gravity boots, you should spend your first few sessions shorter than the said duration.
Because there’s a couple of ways hanging upside down can lengthen the legs, it’s completely up to you to decide whether or not you will pair it with microfracture creation.
No matter the case, you will still have to install a pull-up bar that’s sturdy enough to support your body weight in one of the doors in your home.
You may also take your gravity boots with you to the nearest playground and hang upside down from the monkey bars. However, you can expect to have a baffled audience consisting of kids and their parents.
Drop Those Excess Pounds and Keep Them Off
Whether or not you intend to use an inversion table or a pair of ankle weights or gravity boots, it’s still a great idea for you to exercise regularly if you want to have longer legs despite being past the puberty stage.
No, this is not to create microfractures in your bones but to give the illusion that your legs are longer than they really are.
Shedding off excess pounds is an effective way to make your legs slimmer. If they are thinner, they look lengthier. The leg-lengthening effect can be more dramatic if you go from morbidly obese to extremely fit.
The nicest thing about losing weight is that it can make not only your legs seem longer but your entire body, too. That’s because it causes the eyes of people around you to move up and down, which creates the illusion that you are a tall person.
Paired with the right clothes (later on, we will discuss some ways to use fashion to make you look taller), being slim can give you the physique as well as the self-confidence that you need to feel great.
On the other hand, if you are overweight, the eyes will move side to side, which can make you seem short. It’s due to this why you might want to stay away from bodybuilding. Having bulky muscles everywhere can make you appear shorter. Lifting heavy weights can also increase spine shortening.
Maintaining an ideal weight can make you actually taller, too. With those unnecessary pounds out of the picture, you will find it easier to maintain proper posture.
This allows the spine to elongate, thus allowing you to look statuesque. So go ahead and drop those excess pounds if you want to be taller without undergoing the knife.
Ride a Bicycle With the Seat Raised
Speaking of slimming down, there is an exercise that’s very good for making your legs appear longer because it targets the muscles in them. It’s none other than riding a bicycle.
Just like in many sports, having long legs is an advantage. For instance, it allows basketball players to jump higher. It also allows swimmers to move through the water quicker.
Definitely, having long legs can make runners get to the finish line faster. In cycling, having long legs is also an advantage, although this is only true in flat courses — having lengthy legs is usually a physical attribute of tall people, and the body of tall people can create a drag when cycling.
Truth be told, riding a bicycle won’t change the actual length of your legs. However, it can make your legs appear longer, as it’s great for toning the muscles in your lower limbs.
Especially if you are trying to lose weight, it’s a fantastic idea to have toned leg muscles to keep your lower limbs from looking flabby.
If you want to tone the legs of your muscles faster and more effectively so that you can enjoy longer looking legs in no time, consider raising the seat of your bicycle. The goal is to make you almost stand up on your bicycle, as well as nearly tiptoe when pedaling.
However, this can put you at risk of encountering an injury or accident. Because of this, consider doing this tip on getting longer legs after puberty on a stationary bicycle.
Perform Either Yoga or Pilates on a Regular Basis
There’s no need to worry if you do not have a regular or stationary bicycle, and you want to tone your leg muscles to make your lower limbs seem longer. You can achieve the same effect by engaging in all kinds of stretching exercises.
One very good example is yoga. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not only for new-age or spiritual people, as well as those who are suffering from anxiety or experiencing stress. Yoga is actually very good for attaining overall health, which is why some people who are trying to lose weight engage in it.
If you want to make your legs appear longer than they really are, consider doing yoga on a regular basis. Many of the poses that you will need to do can cause the leg muscles to become stretched, thus toning them.
Certain yoga poses can, in fact, lengthen the muscles of your legs. Earlier, we mentioned that hanging upside down can encourage the cartilages in the leg joints to expand. Well, doing yoga lets you achieve the same effect, too.
And by the way, yoga also promotes the decompression of the spine as it helps to eliminate tension in the back muscles. So in other words, doing yoga can lengthen not only your legs but also your spine.
There is another form of stretching exercise that can help tone your leg muscles, thus allowing you to be seen sporting seemingly long legs. It’s called Pilates, which was created in the early 20th century, making it a relative newcomer compared to yoga, which was created at around 500 BC.
Although it’s just as effective as yoga for making your legs look longer, Pilates oftentimes require the use of all sorts of equipment.
Get a Fascia Roller to Relax Tight Leg Muscles
Most forms of alternative treatments were developed centuries ago, such as in the case of acupuncture and aromatherapy. There is one that was created back in the 1940s only, and these days it’s quite popular. It’s called Rolfing, and its proponents say that it can make the legs longer and the body taller.
Put simply, Rolfing is a type of deep tissue massage. However, unlike most deep tissue massages that aim to relieve muscle tension, Rolfing is more focused on restoring the normal alignment of the muscles and the body, too.
It does so by means of manipulating the fascia. Your fascia is a thin membrane that covers every organ and tissue in your body. Your muscles are encased in the fascia, too.
According to those who practice Rolfing, undergoing the form of deep tissue massage helps the fascia to loosen up, thus allowing the muscles inside them to relax as well as lengthen. It’s because of this why performing Rolfing in the lower limbs on a regular basis may help make your legs longer.
Other than your legs, Rolfing is also said to help make the rest of your body longer. Such is the result of the release of muscle tension in the back, which is vital for the attainment of proper posture. It’s no secret among those who would like to stand taller that having good posture is a definite must.
Worry not if you want to lengthen your legs through Rolfing, but there’s no Rolfing expert in your area. Online and offline, you may purchase a fascia roller, which looks like a foam roller that’s used for stretching. There are many tutorial videos on the internet on how to use a fascia roller to increase one’s height.
Use Fashion to Make Your Legs Seem Longer
Last but not least, you can turn to some nifty fashion tips and tricks on making your legs appear longer than they really are. Whether you are still in your puberty stage or you passed it many years ago, the way you dress and accessorize can have a huge impact on the appearance of your lower limbs.
Here are some of the things that you may try to create the illusion that you have long legs:
- Put on high-heeled shoes with a low vamp or front (covering only the toes)
- Choose shoes that match the color of your skin or outfit
- Stay away from cropped pants
- Go for skinny pants that are black or dark in color
- Opt for pants with vertical stripes
- Tuck your shirt in a high-waisted pair of jeans
- Wear monochromatic (colors from the same family) clothes
- Sport a skirt that’s either above-knee length or very long
Remember these tips and tricks on making your legs appear longer the next time you are at the shopping mall to make sure that you can be seen with lengthy legs no matter the venue or occasion.
The Takeaway: There are Many Steps You Can Take
Just because you are past your puberty stage and your bone plates are already closed doesn’t mean that you can no longer enjoy longer legs. There are many steps that you can take to make your lower limbs look more attractive, and above, we discussed some of the best ones that you may consider giving a try.
Some of the solutions we talked about can, in fact, increase the length of your legs, such as in the case of limb lengthening surgery and creating microfractures in the bones of your legs.
Then there are those that only create the illusion that you have longer legs, such as in the case of losing weight, doing yoga, and wearing the right clothes. It is completely up to you to decide which of the methods above you would go for.
No matter your choice, feel free to come back to this site after some time and then kindly share your experience in the comments section below. Enjoy having longer and more beautiful legs!
What’s Next?
Check my Top 10 Sports to Increase Height and Worst 5 to Avoid post.
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