Movements Afoot’s Blog

Irmgard Bartenieff had a great concept about understanding the shoulder, the hand-scapula relationship.  The scapula is the lever to lift the hand and arm.   When the shoulder girdle moves correctly, great function is invited.  Each bone of the shoulder girdle; the cravicles, the scapulae and the humerus bone, have a unique rhythm of movement to facilitate the arm moving in space.

A great scapular-humeral rhythm will invite the correct phrasing of the arm and core muscles. When you get a client to better use her shoulder girdle, her arm strength, posture and connection to the core will improve. Read on to learn how this rhythm works and how to help your clients improve theirs.

The arms connect to the torso through the shoulder girdle, shoulder blades, clavicles and humerus bones. Each bone moves in different degrees of rotation and timing. The timing and the control of these motions are essential to a healthy shoulder. This “scapular-humeral rhythm” is like a symphony—each bone is an instrument playing a different variation of a melody.