VIDEO 6. Fascias III

Our fifth fascia is “The Arm Lines”, where we identify four distinct myofascial lines related to the axial skeleton and extending to four regions of the arm and four ‘sides’ of the hand: the thumb, little finger, palm, and the back of the hand. Despite appearing to have regular symmetry, the Arm Lines exhibit more ‘cross’ myofascial connections than the corresponding lines in the legs. Due to the specialization of human shoulders and arms for mobility compared to our more stable legs, this greater degree of freedom requires more variable control and stabilization lines, hence more inter-line connections. Nevertheless, the arms include a deep and superficial line along the front forearm and a deep and superficial line along the back forearm. The Arm Lines are named based on the locations they pass through the shoulders.

The postural function of the Arm Lines involves tension coming from the elbow, affecting the mid-back, and can create significant resistance to shoulder position, ribs, neck, respiratory function, and beyond. This section details the pulling lines on the axial skeleton when the arms are relaxed, as well as the stretching lines that come into play during activities involving the arms, such as supporting the body in a push-up or yoga inversion, hanging from the arms in a chin-up or tree-climbing situation, and more. (will be given in e manual)

The general movement function of the Arm Lines is demonstrated in our daily manual activities, where our arms and hands perform various activities closely connected with our eyes. Through these tension continuities, the Arm Lines influence performance in activities such as examining and manipulating the environment, responding, and moving. The Arm Lines affect about 10 joint levels in the arm, bringing things towards us, pushing them away, pulling, pushing, stabilizing our own body, or simply holding a part of the world steady for our observation and alterations. These lines seamlessly connect to other lines, especially the helical lines – the Lateral, Spiral, and Functional Lines. (will be given in e manual)

*To stretch the Arm Lines, you can attempt to sit with one hand reaching over the back of the torso from above, trying to interlace the fingers with the other hand reaching from the lower back. Alternatively, while standing on one foot, you can cross your arms over each other for a stretching effect.

Our sixth fascia is “The Functional Lines”, which extend from the Arm Lines to the surface of the body, opposite pelvis, and leg. These lines are called ‘functional’ because, unlike other lines, they are rarely used to modulate the posture position. They primarily come into play during athletic or other activities, where a joint complex is stabilized, balanced, or strengthened by its opposite complement. An example can be seen in javelin throwing or baseball pitching, where the player gains extra speed by throwing the object from their right hand while using the left leg and hip for additional power.