Turn your palm toward your face, turn your palm away. When the palm is facing you, the forearm bones are parallel to each other. When the palm is facing away, the forearm bones are crossed.

Place your hand and forearm on a flat surface like a desk or countertop and turn your palm up and down. Notice how the thumb side of the hand rotates easily around the pinky side of the hand. The pinky side stays in contact with the surface. Try keeping the thumb on the surface and rotate the hand from the pinky side. Notice how the elbow wants to rise, involving the shoulder.

The forearm rotates at the elbow with ease when the pinky (ulnar) side of the forearm is at the center of rotation. The shoulder is involved more when the thumb is at the center of rotation.

Explore these two different orientations throughout your day. Which one is optimal for turning your steering wheel? Which one is good when working at your desk, chopping vegetables, or picking up an object up off the floor? Applying different orientations for different tasks can make a huge difference in the ease or effort your feel in your arms during the day.

Next we will look at some relationships between the forearm, wrist and hand.