BioTensegrity: Anatomy of the 21st Century

BioTensegrity: Anatomy of the 21^st Century

By John Sharkey, Clinical Anatomist and Founder European Neuromuscular Therapy.

& Joanne Avison Professional Structural Integrator and Advanced Yoga Teacher

Introduction

Massage therapy is recognised as the manual manipulation of the soft tissues namely muscles, connective tissue (fascia), tendons, ligaments, and joints. With a clinically oriented bias massage helps alleviate the discomfort associated with daily living strains and overuse issues leading to pain conditions. To ensure high standards of education massage schools have long included a complementary medical approach. This has led to massage schools syllabi content including modules on human anatomy and Newtonian based biomechanics. All this was in an effort to understand the mechanical structure-function relationship. This lever based biomechanics and one muscle one-movement philosophy has long been at odds with what massage therapists intuitively feel and clinically observe. The lever based biomechanics model promotes the existence of individual parts working independently under continuous gravitational compression.

In such a model the foot has little relation to the wrist, the sub occipital structures work autonomously with no concern for the sacrum and pain experienced in the shoulder would require massaging the shoulder and local soft tissues only.

Figure 1: This is the upper limb represented as a lever system where joint space (at the elbow) would require a pin for point A (shoulder) and point B (fist)  to move towards each other. There are no pin joints, or levers, in biologic forms. They can appear to make lever-like motions, however this is not the basis or the limit of their structure. Copyright: Joanne Avison

Massage therapy and movement nourishing our inner space

Massage therapists work directly with the cellular network. So does the body in motion. The cellular network is ubiquitous throughout nature and can be represented by foams and froth. Foams and froth can be seen everywhere. The froth on the top of your morning cappuccino (Fig 1) is another great everyday example of a cellular network. Look closely at the bubbles and their surrounding spaces and you will notice they have, an innate and mobile geometry. Some will appear to have three “sides” while others may have up to eight (polygonal organisation). These arrangements can be seen everywhere in nature and form an essential aspect of the hierarchical organization of all biological organisms. They exist at the microscopic level, such as looking at the arrangement of connective tissue (Fig 2), to the macro level of skin markings on animals such as the Giraffe (Fig 3). Molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and organisms are all constructed on these tensegrity principles of enclosed geometric structures within enclosed geometries.

Figure 2: The froth on the top of your morning coffee is an everyday example of a cellular network. (Image: Author’s own)

Figure 3: A Hierarchical organisation exists at the microscopic level such as looking at the arrangement of connective tissue… (With kind permission of Dr J.C.GUIMBERTEAU and EndovivoProductions)

All are in fact tensegrities within tensegrities working collaboratively on a biologically hierarchical basis. Within these hierarchical biological tensegrity systems (BioTensegrity), the individual cells, which are self-stressed (AKA Pre-stress), are poised and ready to receive mechanical signals that are then converted into biochemical expression, termed mechanotransduction. The geometric patterns or organisations of the cellular network is even used to explain the anatomy of space.

 The fabric of our inner space is made up of a continuum of soft matter comprising specialist tissue variations, all designed around these natural principles of biological structure. Variations range from blood cells to bones, digestive cells to autoimmune structures, mesentery, muscle, nerves and everything in between. In massage therapy we make contact with that inner cellular network by touching the outermost reaches of the same cellular network, the skin. In movement, we organise the outside via the inside and vice versa: Everything connects to everything else.

Tissues glide relative to one another, as there are no “separate” layers. They all exist as specialties along the living continuum. Tissues can resonate and respond to the forces around them and share properties such as the incorporation of polarity – innate to the tension-compression design. The wholeness and integrity of that structural coherence relies upon the relationship and balance of these co-existing forces, united to form the whole structure. In other words, without such specialties – their integrity would be compromised. Thus, there is a built-in mutual co-dependency from which comfort, ease and balanced motion or stability arise.

When  a client attends a massage clinic the focus for the therapist is to restore what has been lost, through pain or injury for example, when the balance of these forces has been compromised. In many cases what has been lost is structural integrity due to (particular or general) excessive tension and/or compression. A typical presentation seen in the clinic is rounded shoulders.  In such a case it is obvious that excessive compression is being exerted anteriorly while excessive tension is experienced posteriorly. (This will appear as “shortening” at the front and “overly long” tissues at the back). Joint space becomes compromised, fascia thickens to support the new posture and bones and other soft tissues can drift out of alignment if such a situation perpetuates without attention. We might generally refer to such posture as a “compensatory pattern”. Forces may not be dealt with appropriately creating additional strain thus creating a downward spiral throughout the entire organism. The solution would be to restore balance between the forces of tension and compression. Treating the anterior chest and upper back may seem to be the order of the day however treating the person on the principles of BioTensegrity requires a whole body, whole person approach. While the treatment of local body parts is required this approach alone will seldom result in sustainable success. A combination of local changes and global re-inforcement, with movement education can bring about a new soft tissue pattern that permits the whole structure to gradually change and sustain a more useful one; especially if it means less pain and the possibility of reversing the downward spiral to an upward one; benefiting the whole organism.

BioTensegrity is an essential model for massage therapists and movement practitioners of every stripe. Understanding this model will provide you with the vocabulary and underlying logic of “body architecture” that forms the context of therapeutic benefits. BioTensegrity will add to your confidence and ability to achieve those therapeutic goals. A new era is dawning in our understanding of anatomy and living movement. That new anatomy and understanding of whole body structure is BioTensegrity.

John Sharkey, MSc is a Clinical Anatomist and Founder of the European Neuromuscular Therapy. He will be travelling to Australia and teaching Biotensegrity from 2^nd of June 2016. More details here

The Theory of Everything -BioTensegrity, Anatomy for the 21^st century

This workshop is ideally suited to the advanced manual and movement therapist with appropriate clinical experience and a desire to take on fresh new ideas, new models and a new way of thinking. Therapists are warmly encouraged to demonstrate their current screening, assessments and therapeutic applications with John while he will provide feedback and suggestions offering a new vision supported by connective tissue techniques for successful manual and movement interventions for all participants. This workshop provides you, the chronic pain soldier the effective full body kinetic chain ammunition you need in the war on pain.

How it all works……….

Therapists are encouraged to bring a patient who is not experiencing a resolution of their pain to either of the two days (maximum 6 patients over the two days). Typical patients in the past have included individuals with chronic knee, wrist or shoulder pain, hip, low back or foot pain, toothache, headache and more. These are patients with unresolved chronic pain and represent a growing population in Australia.  Chronic pain patients are a population of people who do not know who to turn to for help and support.

Please contact your workshop organiser Terra Rosa to arrange a specific time and day to bring your patient to the programme.

This workshop is offered over two days. The workshop is completely unique as it draws on the questions and enquiries of the therapists attending the workshop. Each therapist will take away fresh ways of looking at the body and its own healing mechanism. Therapists typically complete this workshop feeling invigorated, educated, motivated and eager to get back to their clinical practice.

The programme involves:

• Explanation regarding the dynamic of the workshop.
• Patient provides the detail of their story, history and interventions taken to date
• Group dynamic includes questions to patient to help establish the root of the issue
• Group discussion regarding suitable assessments and possible interventions
• Feedback, advice, instruction and demonstrations from John.

Two days of assessments, manual approaches, stretches and movement applications that you can bring back to your clinical practice immediately. This is one of the most unique workshops available on the international circuit and feedback from previous delegates is incredibly positive.

Date: 11-12 June 2016, 9am to 5pm

Venue: The Intuitive Well, 70 Bronte Rd, Bondi Junction. Map

Presenter: John Sharkey, BSc, NMT, MSc

More details and registration here

References

1. Levin, S. M., 1982. Continuous tension, discontinuous compression, a model for biomechanical support of the body. Bulletin of Structural Integration, Rolf Institute, Bolder:31-33.

2. Ingber DE. 2008. Tensegrity-based mechanosensing from macro to micro. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 97(2-3):163-179.

3. Scarr, G. M., 2014. Biotensegrity, The Structural Basis of Life. Handspring Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 9781909141216.

4. Sharkey, J. 2008 Concise Book of Neuromuscular Therapy. A Trigger Point Manual.

Lotus Publishing and North Atlantic Press.

5. Avison, J. 2015. YOGA Fascia, Anatomy and Movement. Handspring Publishing Ltd.