Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Looking for baseline measurements...

Okay, so, I saw on this thread where someone said that their chest expansion had improved from 2cm to 4cm. Does anyone know the normal chest expansion of a healthy person? Also, in terms of growing shorter, how many inches are we talking about here. I mean, I do not yet have that question-mark posture (a slight bending of my neck forwards so far), but standing straight up against a wall (not comfortable mind you), I have lost 2 inches of height; I used to be 5'9 1/2" and now I'm down to 5' 7 1/2". Can I get some comparables? Thanks in advance.

Pete,

I know I had lost one inch at the age of 29, but am not sure of what it was prior to then. Here is a link of a study on normal and people with AS.

Brent

http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpts/15/1/47/_pdf

Hmmm, I left my doctorate in my other jeans pocket...thanks though, Brent. I gave it a read but couldn't really decipher what it was saying. Since I posted this, I did a bit of research myself and found that normal chest expansion is between 2 to 5 inches (I measured my son, age 15, and he had a 2 inch expansion). Then I stumbled upon an article re: AS and it said that less than 1 inch of expansion is indicative of (in this case) AS. So, at 1/2 inch, I guess that means me. The heighth thing surprises me the most. As I mentioned, I don't have the stooped over look yet, but to lose 2 inches (acutally 2.5, but some of that is just age -- at my peak I was 5'10"). I think I'm turning into a Hobbit!

262 healthy subjects (111 males and 151 females) are reported that for the age group 35 to 44 years mean CE 6.56 cm for males and 4.57 cm for females.

I know how you feel I started at 5' 9 1/2" and was 5' 9" in 2005. Afew few months ago I was at 5' 8". Standing with my feet against the wall my head is three fingers width from the wall now. I have noticed other around me appear to be getting taller.

Brent

ok i used to be 5'9" last time i was measured i was 5'6" and ive got the AS look, my chest expansion i aint sure but my GP and my rheumy check it annually so for now i guess its ok, if i have to sneeze my chest and back really hurt, so to make it sure i am shrinking(stooping) and my rips are in the fusion process, and im getting heart pains which i think is from the ribs, but i see my doc on the 7th and we'll be talking about it......oak

centimeteres NOT inches.

i was once 5'10"...now 5'5" - that's 5" in seven years time...i stand straight but have no SI anymore-
eaten away, gone...

im too old to use the metric system so i use inches i get to confused when im told its so many centimeters i ask so how big is that?????....LOL....i tried to stand straight but it just got too painful to keep that up....ive notice my is not only moving closser to my chest but its geting a slight angle to it as well, must from the scoliosis.....it seems we lost the same amount in about the same time frame....oak......oak

I used to wonder if being put on the rack as they called it back in the days of torture would help with the pain we have by stretching our bodies out. Now with the fusion and brittle bones I know it would not be a good idea even though we could all stand to gain some of our height back. Ben and Oak seem to be running a close race on getting shorter. I know a lot of my old friends I see at the stores after not seeing them for years all ask didn't you use to be taller than me.

Brent

brent, aloha

when i had the ulcer back in 01,02,03...i lost a lot of weight and strength (never got much of the strength and
stamina back)...i couldn't eat, didn't eat, really fell apart fast...spondy monster went into ramming speed;
i honestly thought i was holding my own till i saw myself in a big mirror one day. 'who's that guy, looks half dead?'

2.5 cm = 1 inch .... I think...