A New Concept of Biotensegrity Incorporating Liquid Tissues: Blood and Lymph

Abstract

The definition of fascia includes tissues of mesodermal derivation, considered as specialized connective tissue: blood and lymph. As water shapes rocks, bodily fluids modify shapes and functions of bodily structures. Bodily fluids are silent witnesses of the mechanotransductive information, allowing adaptation and life, transporting biochemical and hormonal signals. While the solid fascial tissue divides, supports, and connects the different parts of the body system, the liquid fascial tissue feeds and transports messages for the solid fascia. The focus of this article is to reconsider the model of biotensegrity because it does not take into account the liquid fascia, and to try to integrate the fascial continuum with the lymph and the blood in a new model. The name given to this new model is RAIN-Rapid Adaptability of Internal Network.

Keywords: biotensegrity; chiropractic; fascia; manual therapy; myofascial; osteopathic.

Figure 1.

Tensegrity. A structure is stabilized by the balance of a constant tension and by the presence of a discontinuous compression. This organization is self-stabilizing, allowing to manage tension variations with a certain degree of flexibility, transferring the forces applied to the whole structure. The photo shows the sculpture by artist Kenneth Snelson.

Figure 2.

Spine tensegrity. The picture shows the concept of tensegrity, with a shape that resembles the spine, with the tendons and ligaments.

Figure 3.

Biotensegrity model of fascial continuum. The picture shows a model of a man sitting in perfect balance, reflecting the concept of tensegretive continuity.

Figure 4.

RAIN model. The circle represents the epidermis that closes the body. The red lines represent muscles and bones; the blue lines parallel to the red lines represent the vascular and lymphatic vessels; the yellow spider web represents the indissoluble connection of the different fascial layers. The blue color of the bottom and that fills the circle are liquids, including the interstitial ground substance.