Do you have knock knees, flat feet, or chin poke?

Is your Deep Front Line (DFL) working correctly?

What is the Deep Front Line?

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Between the skin on the surface and the bones, the body is substantially composed of muscle, tendon, ligament and fascia.

These structures serve to stabilize and empower your body as a whole.
 
If you have knock knees, flat feet or chin poke this could be a result of your Deep Front Line not functioning correctly.

The Deep Front Line/ DFL is a collection of muscles and fascia responsible for maintaining your core alignment and stability in static (stationary) and dynamic (moving) positions. Though other muscles and myofascial meridians have a role to play in maintaining your core alignment, the DFL has a major role. 


Getting to the basics, Myofascia is the name given to the part of the connective tissue system (fascia) that separates and contains every muscle of the body. it is a dynamic network of tissues which covers and connects all the muscles present in your body. Myofascia is scaffolding for muscles, keeping them separate or together when needed for movement (conscious or unconscious)  A Myofascial meridian is a proposed dynamic lines of force related to the myofascial network. Myofascial meridian/ myofascial force transmission has a significant effect on the adjacent muscles and connective tissues. 

The DFL is the deepest of all myofascial meridians and it forms your myofascial axial core. Thus, a thorough understanding of DFL in three dimensions is useful for both manual and movement therapies. 

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Where is my Deep Front Line (DFL)?

​In the coronal plane, DFL lies in between the right and left Lateral Lines; in the sagittal plane, DFL is sandwiched between the Superficial Front Line and Superficial Back Line. Functional Lines and helical Spiral also surround DFL

​Though DFL is present throughout your body, for convenience, let’s describe it from your foot. DFL begins from the deep of the foot. Distal attachments of muscles in the back of the foot namely:  the tibialis posterior and the two long flexors of the toes, the flexor hallucis and, digitorum longus mark the beginning of DFL. From there, DFL passes inside the ankle behind the medial malleolus. From there DFL moves towards the deep posterior compartment of the lower leg, behind your knee and then moving towards the thigh. From there, a major branch of DFL passes by the front of your hip joint, pelvis, and lumbar spine.

A horizontal cross-section of meridians in your leg:

From your thigh, another branch of DFL reaches the floor of the pelvis and from there goes up to your lumbar spine and joins the major branch of DFL there. From lumbar spine, DFL moves above through your ribcage. Few branches of DFL, also surround the rib cage. Thus, DFL reaches the base of your brain. ​

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​Here are top 5 functions of DFL​

1. It stabilizes each segment of legs
2. It lifts the inner arch
3. It balances the chest while breathing
4. It balances the head and neck
5. It supports the lumbar spine from front

Any issue with DFL may result in the following

• Temporo Mandibular/TMJ problem
• Swallowing and speech difficulties
• Restricted breathing
• Core collapse
• High and fallen arch pattern
• Chronic plantar flexion
• Insufficiency of pelvic floor
• Anterior pelvic tilt
• Pronation and supination

Functions of DFL elaborated

DFL is responsible for the right shape/ position of legs, which create an appropriate inner arch. DFL and Lateral Line/ LL act in reverse directions. The lateral line is a myofascia which begins from the foot and runs on the side of the body. DFL and LL counteract each other. For instance, if DFL falls short around the ankle, the feet turn supine and inverted, whereas if LL gets shorter over a period of time, feet get everted and pronated. Together DFL and LL stabilise tibia and fibula over the ankle and maintain the inner arch.
At the knee joint, DFL and Lateral Line/ LL counterbalance each other like a bowstring. If DFL is short, legs are in the O pattern, and LL is under stress, whereas in the X shaped legs/ knock knees, it’s the other way which means LL is short and DFL is strained.
 
If there is pain or an imbalance work with your physio to correct this to be able to function without pain. 
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The good news is that these things can be corrected with the right treatment and exercises!

References:

Findley, T. (2009) Second International Fascia Research Congress. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice. 2(2) pp. 1-6.
Ingber, D. (2006) Cellular mechnotransduction: putting all the pieces together again. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 20 pp. 811-827.
1 Juhan, D. (2003) 3rd ed. Job’s Body. Station Hill Press, Barry Town, USA.
Myers, T. (2009) 2nd ed. Anatomy trains. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier. & www.anatomytrains.com
Levin, S. & Martin, D. (2012) Biotensegrity. in Schleip, R., Findley, T., Chaitow, L. & Huijing, P. (eds.) Fascia, the tensional network of the human body. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
https://www.anatomytrains.com
https://www.functionalpatterns.com
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11780782
http://healingartsce.com/advancedanatomymyofascialpg4.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4107879/
https://www.pilates.org.au/myofascia/#
https://www.pilates.org.au/about/
http://www.psmgroup.com.au/what-is-myofascia