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L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 77 Later experiments manipulated the tensile forces within and without the cells, and these manipulations changed the cells' genetic expression. In summary, the cells that were stretched f lat divided. You might say they overextended themselves. Cells that were not allowed to stretch retracted into themselves, rounded in shape, and died. Make of that example what you will. Meanwhile, the cells that were neither overstretched nor understretched thrived. Instead, they differentiated and realized their cellular potentials. Liver cells secreted the appropriate liver enzymes, capillary cells formed hollow tubes, and so on—the Goldilocks principle at a microscopic level. Mechanical restructuring of the cells told the cells what to do, how to behave, and how to function. Orthopedic surgeon Steven Levin later coined the term biotensegrity to differentiate biologic tensegrity from the artistic/ architectural variety, but the principles remain the same. In essence, the 206 bones are struts pulling up against, and balancing in, gravity via the tensile nature of the myofascial web. It's all connected indeed. For all that interconnectivity, you still need to know how it's all connected to best navigate and trace potential kinks in the system. Imagine a very elaborate garden hose or a badly wrinkled garment. The best-known series of tensegrity-oriented body maps are the Anatomy Trains, but many other linkages and slings are being proposed, explored, and studied. I look forward to these future inclusions. Still, Ingber put it best when he wrote: "From the molecules to the bones and muscles and tendons of the human body, tensegrity is clearly nature's preferred building system. Only tensegrity can explain how every time you move your arm your skin stretches, your extracellular matrix extends, your cells distort, and the interconnected molecules that form Resources Croskey, M. I. et al. "The Height of the Center of Gravity in Man." American Journal of Physiology 61, no. 1 (1922): 171–85. Davidovits, P. Physics in Biology and Medicine. 5th ed. New York: Elsevier (2018): Chapter 1, Static Forces. Gracovetsky, S. The Spinal Engine. October 2008 ed. Self-published (2008): 174. Ingber, D. E. "The Architecture of Life." Scientifi c American 278, no. 1 (1998): 48–57. Lowell de Solórzano, S. Everything Moves: How Biotensegrity Informs Human Movement. Philadelphia: Handspring Publishing (2020). Pope, M. H. "Giovanni Alfonso Borelli—The Father of Biomechanics." Spine 30, no. 20 (2005): 2,350–55. PODCAST: "BODYTALK WITH DAVID LESONDAK: SUSAN LOWELL DE SOLÓRZANO ON BIOTENSEGRITY AND CONNECTING" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Listen! BODY OF WONDER the internal framework of the cell feel the pull—all without any breakage or discontinuity." Tensegrity. It's not just a useful model; it may prove to be the tensional blueprint of all living matter. David Lesondak is an allied health member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and is board- certifi ed in structural integration. He is the author of Fascia: What It Is and Why It Matters, editor of Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications, and host of the podcast BodyTalk. Learn more at davidlesondak.com.