Chapter 16: Endocrine Growth, Development, Puberty, and Aging

Chapter Focus

This chapter examines endocrine growth, development, puberty, and aging through endocrine anatomy and physiology, pathology and medical management, massage-therapy safety, client assessment, clinical reasoning, body-system integration, and MBLEx preparation.

Mini Outline

1. Growth Hormone and IGF-1 Physiology.
2. Prenatal, Placental, Childhood, and Pubertal Endocrine Development.
3. Growth Disorders and Endocrine Syndromes.
4. Endocrine Aging and Massage Across the Lifespan.

Learning Objectives

Chapter Summary

Growth hormone is secreted in pulses and acts directly and through IGF-1. Feedback, sleep, nutrition, age, and other hormones shape the axis.

Placental and fetal hormones support prenatal development, while neonatal transition, childhood growth, adrenarche, gonadarche, and puberty require coordinated endocrine signaling.

Growth disorders include GH deficiency, gigantism, acromegaly, short stature of many causes, and disorders of pubertal timing. Testing and treatment are individualized.

Endocrine aging affects bone, muscle, skin, sleep, metabolism, and recovery, but functional status and medical stability—not stereotypes—should guide massage planning.

Key Takeaways

• Random GH values are limited because secretion is pulsatile; IGF-1 is often a more stable screening marker.
• Adrenarche and gonadarche are distinct processes, and estrogen contributes to growth-plate closure in all sexes.
• Growth and puberty concerns require medical evaluation; massage does not alter height or endocrine timing.
• Lifespan massage care should be individualized for bone, skin, sensation, medications, fatigue, consent, and functional capacity.

Chapter Glossary

Hover over a term, or tap it on a phone, to review its definition.

• Growth hormone
• IGF-1
• Adrenarche
• Gonadarche
• Acromegaly
• Precocious puberty
• Turner syndrome
• Sarcopenia