Achondroplasia (Dwarfism) Support Group

Hello everybody.

I guess this is kind of a weird question but.

Can Achondroplasia, or Hypochondroplasia occur in people of "normal" height? Not just dwarfs?

I know it occurs in dwarfs who are usually about 4 feet in height, give or take a few inches, but can it also occur in someone of average height, say for example: someone about 5 feet 6 inches tall?

The reason why I ask is because, I'm 56 years old, 5 feet 6 inches, or 66 inches tall, and I'm very fat, actually obese, weighing close to 400 pounds.

So, I have to buy my pants in a men's clothing store, like Casual Male XL or I have to order my pants from a King Size Catalog.

Most men my height, usually have a 31 to 32 inch inseam length as measured from cuff to crotch, but when I get measured for pants, I have a 64 inch waist, 70 inch hips, 36 inch thighs, but my inseam length, from cuff to crotch, is only 26 inches.

My legs are rather short for my height, and my arms are also kind of short in proportion to my body. So, my legs are about 5 to 6 inches shorter than for most men my height. When I buy pants to fit me, they have to cut the legs much shorter and take up the hem on the cuffs.

Now, I have been to a web site titled "Standardized Body Proportions For Females And Males By Height Based On United States Army Data" which is at:

http://robyn.faeriemanor.org/BodyP...

You enter your height in inches, and then, it tells you how long your legs should be, another words, your crotch height, and your torso length from shoulder to crotch, and all of your other body proportions.

So, since I'm 66 inches tall, then my crotch height should be about 31.80 or between 31 to 32 inches and my torso length from shoulder to crotch should be about 22.70 or between 22 to 23 inches.

But my crotch height is only 26 inches, and when I measured my torso length, it was about 30 inches, so according to the Standardized Body Proportions Chart, my legs are about 6 inches shorter and my torso length is about 7 inches longer than for most men my height.

I then entered other heights to see how tall a man would be to have a 30 inch torso length from shoulder to crotch, and how short someone would be to have legs only 26 inches long.

Well, I got the shock of my life!!!

A man with a torso length of 30 inches from shoulder to crotch would be about 88 inches, or 7 feet 4 inches tall, and a man with legs only 26 inches long would be about 54 inches, or 4 feet 6 inches tall.

WOW!

Does that mean that I have the body of one who is 7 feet 4 inches, and the legs of one who is only 4 feet 6 inches?

Then, when I add the 26 inches for my leg length, plus the 30 inches for the torso length, the gives me 56 inches, and that leaves 10 inches for my head height and neck length. My head is average size for a person my height, and I have a short thick neck.

Therefore, I have a larger body, and shorter limbs, and a shorter neck. Since my legs are short for my height, then most people can walk faster then I can. I actually waddle when I walk.

With body proportions like mine, it's probably no wonder why I can gain weight so easily.

When I'm riding on the city bus, I notice that when I sit next to a friend of mine who is 6 feet tall, I sit up much higher than he does, but I also notice when I sit next to people who are shorter than I am, their knees stick out further then mine, so I sit up higher then people who are taller than I am, and some people who are shorter than I am, have legs that are longer then mine! Weird! Eh?

So, my question is, Can Achondroplasia, or Hypochondroplasia occur in people of "normal" height? And do I have it?
Posted on 12/25/07, 07:12 am