#deepfrontarmline

I’ve been unraveling some arm pain the last few weeks, which seems to originate at a sternal rib head, beneath the pec, through the front of the shoulder, down the biceps and all the way into the radial head and into the thumb. Various aches manifest with different movement, many of which are small mechanical actions that aren’t heavily loaded. Doing a pull-up doesn’t feel uncomfortable, (nor does my strength feel compromised) but I feel a re-bound affect afterwards. I can wake up from a night of hand-stands or dancing to find my right arm feels like it’s curling up into a rictus. Opening doors, and gripping bottles and other strangely shaped items can be weirdly painful.

This isn’t quite lateral or medial epicondylitis (golfer’s/tennis elbow), both of which I’ve rehabbed, but something more involved in the entire front chain of the arm. Tight forearms definitely don’t help, as they’re pulling super hard and restricting activation of the extensors. But I also have the sensation that there’s a spiral pattern to the tension, as well as contributing issues in the thoracic rib heads, either with excessive rhomboid tension or a lack of good thoracic extension. While my bodyworker and I have been talking about lower lat & mid-trap activation as well as serratus anterior as possible muscles that need more focus, I’ve been experimenting with releasing the tissue along the biceps, forearm and front delt.

According Anatomy Trains, although the arms are not essential for posture, they do have a postural function, "strain from the elbow affects the mid-back, and shoulder malposition can create significant drag on the ribs, neck, breathing function and beyond.”

This is an interesting proposition—that the dysfunction may begin distally and eventually manifest in the trunk. Usually I begin from the center and extend out when trouble-shooting an issue, but considering all of the gripping, climbing, squeezing and grabbing I do, there’s no shortage of tension at the elbow attachments. 
.
As you get to the last photo of the collection, note the unconventional view of the shoulder. When you realize how many muscles of the trunk connect at the shoulder joint, it’s easier to believe why poor posture would affect arm function and why poor arm usage would impact posture.

Either way, stay tuned for an interesting array of exploratory movements and exercises that I’m experimenting with to see if I can sort this mess out.