Anatomy · functional reading
Biotensegrity
Biotensegrity is a model that applies the principle of tensegrity to living organisms: elements that resist compression, such as bones, are held in place by a continuous network of tissues under tension, such as muscles, ligaments and fascia.
Scientific basis
The word tensegrity (from tensional integrity) was coined by the architect Buckminster Fuller to describe stable structures in which rigid struts do not touch one another and are held by cables under tension. The orthopedic surgeon Stephen Levin proposed applying this principle to the skeleton, particularly to the spine (Levin, 2002).
At the scale of the cell, the organization of the cytoskeleton according to tensegrity principles is well studied (Ingber, 2003). At the scale of the whole body, biotensegrity remains an interpretive model: useful for thinking about how stress is distributed, it has not been experimentally validated in all its implications (Bordoni and Myers, 2020).
Some mechanical interactions at a distance can, however, be measured: in humans, flexing or contracting the muscles at the back of the thigh changes the measured stiffness of the thoracolumbar fascia (Kellis et al., 2024). This does not show that tension at a distance explains pain.
Three levels should therefore be distinguished: cellular tensegrity, a recognized framework for studying certain mechanical relationships; whole-body biotensegrity, a conceptual model; and clinical conclusions, which the model does not allow us to draw, either about the cause of pain or about the superiority of a treatment.
Blue Portance / SBNFA™ reading
SBNFA™ uses biotensegrity as a framework for interpretation, not as a law. It helps shift from a parts-based logic (which vertebra, which disc?) to a systems logic: how stress is distributed, which movements remain available, which regions compensate for others. The hypothesis that variability in support points preserves this capacity for redistribution belongs to the SBNFA™ reading.
Contribution to the analysis of sitting
In the seated position, the model invites us to look at the pelvis, the spine and the hips as a coupled whole: a seat that locks one region changes the way the others share the loads. This perspective does not make it possible to locate the origin of pain.
Not to be confused with
Tensegrity, a general architectural principle; myofascial continuity, an anatomical relationship between muscles and fascia; myofascial force transmission, an experimentally measured mechanism.
Related terms
Sources and scope
- Levin (2002): the "tensegrity-truss" model of the spine, biotensegrity (J Mech Med Biol)
- Ingber (2003): tensegrity, cellular structure and systems biology (J Cell Sci)
- Bordoni and Myers (2020): review of theoretical models of fascia, including biotensegrity (Cureus)
- Kellis et al. (2024): thoracolumbar fascia stiffness and knee flexion (Journal of Anatomy)
A theoretical model recognized as a framework for reflection; only certain interactions at a distance have been measured. It does not constitute an explanation of pain.
Further reading
- Learn more — Article: Back Pain and Biotensegrity: What If Your Spine Isn’t a Stack of Vertebrae?
- Go further — Expert guide: How Does Fascia Transmit Forces and Distribute Stress?
