Runners World examines whether running makes you shorter in an interview with Todd McGrath, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS.

The short answer: Yes, it actually does. Fortunately, though, it’s only for a brief period of time. “It is true that people potentially can lose height when they run,” said Dr. McGrath,  “Middle- and longer-distance runners can experience this, but it’s a slight difference and seems to be very transient.”

The exact mechanism responsible for running making you shorter is still unknown, said Dr. McGrath, but it’s likely due to temporary volume loss in the intervertebral discs—the spongy, gummy-like pads between each of the vertebrae that make up your spine.

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