Knee height

The height of a subject can be heavily influenced by dysmorphism of the rachis (kyphoscoliosis) and by bone diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets. Not surprisingly, from the age of 30, height tends to decrease with aging, by approximately:

0.03 cm / year up to 45 years;

0.28 cm / year over 45 years.

To eliminate the influence of these factors and to obtain a real estimate of the height of the subject, which is important for proceeding with the due anthropometric evaluations, the so-called knee height is used.

The examined subject is barefoot, in a sitting position, with the left leg flexed at 90 ° on the thigh (therefore placed at a right angle). The measurement is taken with a metric tape, noting the distance from the upper edge of the lateral condyle of the femur to the sole of the foot.

The data obtained is then inserted into these formulas:

Male height (cm) = 64.19 - (0.04 x age) + (2.02 x knee height)
Height (cm) females = 84.88 - (0.24 x age) + (1.83 x knee height)

BIBLE: Chumlea WC; JAGS 1985

Height (cm) = 94.87 + 1.58 x knee height - 0.23 x age + 4.8 if male

BIBLIO: Donini LM: Nutr Health Aging 2000