2013/01/01 by Randel L. Swanson · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · Psychology · Engineering · #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions #Spaceflight effects on biology #Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment #Osteopathic medicine in the United States #Tensegrity #Osteopathy #Function (biology) #Clinical Practice #Human body #Action (physics) #Computer science #Data science #Cognitive science #Medicine #Psychology #Alternative medicine #Physical therapy #Artificial intelligence #Engineering #Pathology #Biology
paper · pdf · doi:10.7556/jaoa.2013.113.1.34
openalex publication_date 2013/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26
Since its inception, osteopathic medicine has sought to identify the mechanical causes of disease and to understand the body's structure-function relationship. Research conducted during the past 25 years has demonstrated that the architectural principles of tensegrity can be applied to biological organisms (termed biotensegrity) and that these principles can demonstrate the mechanical structure-function relationship at all size scales in the human body. Further, biotensegrity at the cellular level allows the cell to mechanically sense its environment and convert mechanical signals into biochemical changes. When applied to the principles of osteopathic medicine, biotensegrity provides a conceptual understanding of the hierarchical organization of the human body and explains the body's ability to adapt to change. Further, biotensegrity explains how mechanical forces applied during osteopathic manipulative treatment could lead to effects at the cellular level, providing a platform for future research on the mechanisms of action of osteopathic manipulative treatment.