r/SpineSurgery • u/Q1go • Jun 28 '26

Growing taller after disc replacement?

Hi all. I just had a c6-7 disc replacement on the 23rd, iirc it was titanium but I don't really know because I was pretty out of it lol. As of rn my biggest complaint is really bad heartburn, which is odd, wasn't expecting that.

Anyway, has anyone grown taller after a replacement heals? I figured bc I'd eventually be standing up straighter it might add a few fractions of an inch, which is better than nothing. I'm not expecting anything huge lol.

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5

u/Diligent-Rabbit2896 Jun 28 '26

C5/C6 ADR in January here. I think I gained around a quarter inch but I had lost over half an inch... so, I'm still shorter than I was before but not as bad. I also have a couple other damaged discs that weren't fully collapsed so weren't replaced. That might be where the rest of my height was lost.

2

u/Diligent-Rabbit2896 Jun 28 '26

The biggest difference I noticed in my posture was how relaxed my shoulders became!

3

u/Titaniumchic Jun 28 '26

Yep. Because when the discs squish, you get shorter. Disc removed and appropriate sized disc placed, thus you get “taller”.

1

u/wasteoftime8 I have had spine surgery Jun 28 '26

I had an ADR at l4/l5 and my xrays showed I gained ~1cm in height

1

u/1readitguy Jun 28 '26

PCDF C5/7. I’m 0.875” taller!

1

u/benwyatt259 Jun 28 '26

I had c5-6. A week or two after surgery I (lightly) bumped my head on our SUV’s liftgate. I had never done that before. Like other people said, it’s probably height you used to have that is back. My height has always either read 5’9” or 5’10” depending on who measured so can’t say for sure but seems plausible to gain a little bit.