Aches & Pains / Question
Published: August 30, 2005
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am a fifteen year old female and my problem is my figure. All my life im been quite skinny very tall with long legs. I started puberty before most of my friends and then all of a sudden i seemed to have stopped growing. I am the smae height and have EXACTLY the same boobs size i had 6 years ago but thats not really teh problem. The problem is i still have very long legs but a very very short body i look like someones cut my body off another person and stuck it on my legs and what makes it worse i have very wonky hips one is curved and developed the other is still how it was when i was ten. I wouldnt mind so much because i know i still have a few more years left of puberty but its really noticable and its starting to hurt. ON teh curved side my hipand ribs are about 2 inches apart on the straight side they are touching. I am a very sporty person and now when i do sport i can feel my hip and rib grinding on eachother . Im startin to get back and knee pains and i can tell im walking to one side. Is this all just growing? Or is it perhaps to do with my posture when i was younger ( i am not aware i had bad posture) amnd if it isnt just my body changing is tehre a solution like and operation or something?
Signed: 15 YO Hasn't Grown In 6 Years - Hips & Ribs Grinding
Dear 15 YO Hasn't Grown In 6 Years - Hips & Ribs Grinding,
TeenHealthFX is sorry to here that you are in pain. Although we can’t make a diagnosis over the Internet, but it sounds like you have something called “scoliosis.” Scoliosis is the curving of your backbone. It usually occurs during puberty because that’s when you’re growing quickly. We recommend that you see your doctor for an evaluation. The screening itself is very simple – you bend down and touch your toes and the doctor checks to see if your back is curved. If the doctor has any concerns he/she will order an x-ray of your spine. If it is curved the doctor will send you to an orthopedist (a bone doctor) to discuss your condition and treatment options.
As for not having grown in 6 years, people are all different. Some people have their growth spurts and start puberty early, while others are late bloomers. If you started early you are probably finished early as well. The height you will be as an adult is determined by the height of your parents. So your final height will be somewhere in between the height of your mom and the height of your dad. Everyone’s body type is also different. Your description of your body type sounds like what happens with scoliosis. Your height may also have been affected by scoliosis.
TeenHealthFX feels that it is very important for you to see a doctor about your pain – you can also discuss your concerns about your growth as well. If you don’t have a doctor and live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973.971.6475 for an appointment or contact your local teen health center or Planned Parenthood.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
In the 
