In 1993, I met Dr. Stephen Levin, an orthopedic surgeon. We were both teaching at a physical medicine conference at a university in Toronto. His lecture described a new, radical theory that the body was actually composed of microscopic, molecular sub-units forming a continuous structural framework, which he referred to as biotensegrity1. I immediately realized that his theories could explain many of my clinical observations up to that point and incorporated these concepts into my research.
More than 30 years of clinical experience and verification by numerous clinicians, researchers, and radiographic, neurological, and laboratory evidence supports the concept that the biotensegrity structural model is a congruent and scientific framework for understanding the consequences of injury. It also provided the basis for a system of treatment to effectively and efficiently resolve the effects of injury at a profound level, which culminated in the development of a treatment system called Matrix Repatterning2. The successful application of these methods by many other practitioners around the world appears to confirm the validity of this approach.
When Physics Meets Biology
From the moment we try to stand as toddlers, we begin our encounters with the law — the law of gravity or the law of momentum. An object that is in motion tends to stay in motion until it encounters an immovable object, such as a floor, wall, or piece of furniture. There is no way to evade the law. As we learn to walk and attempt more challenging activities, such as climbing playground equipment, riding a bike, skating, skiing, various sports (hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, football), to say nothing of getting behind the wheel of a car, we begin our venture into the unforgiving world of physics. In most cases, we survive the encounter. We get up and bravely continue — get back on the bike, back in the game, or back in the driver’s seat. Over the course of time, though, it seems to get harder and harder to get back up and keep going. We may notice increasing stiffness and pain or that simple activities trigger pain.
The bumps and bruises we may have encountered on the road of life may have taken a toll on the structural balance at a much deeper level. Current research demonstrates that these common mishaps can have an effect deep inside our body, right down to the molecules inside our cells. Injuries, such as strains or impacts, are a form of mechanical energy, which is absorbed predominantly by certain parts of the body. Minor injuries can be easily overcome because the body has built-in shock-absorbing capacity. Muscles, ligaments, skin, and even bone have elastic properties that allow them to bounce back with no lasting effects. However, if the injury is more serious, the consequences may be more significant. Depending on how much force is involved, certain parts of the body may be overwhelmed and not be able to fully recover. Research has revealed that injury can affect the molecular structures inside of our cells, causing them to change shape. When it comes to our cells, it appears that shape is everything.
Deep, Hidden Injury
Much of the force of any injury, such as an impact, fall, or strain, may be absorbed by the deeper, denser parts of the body. In the case of an impact, the fluid-filled compartments of the body, such as the trunk and head, absorb much of the force into the fluid itself, which reacts as you might imagine a water balloon would respond to landing on pavement. Just like the balloon, the dense, water-like fluid expands rapidly outward, exerting force on the organs themselves, including the brain and surrounding bony structures, namely the cranial bones, rib cage, spine, and pelvis.
Because of its dense crystalline structure, bone is also vulnerable to direct impact and mechanical stress, leading to significant changes in its structure. These changes were one of the first clues I had over 40 years ago that there was more to the story about how the body responds to injury. During my studies in radiology and my time as dissection lab assistant, I often remarked that the bones on one side of the body were larger than those on the opposite side. As it turns out, recent research has confirmed these observations3, and it may point to a smoking gun that has eluded researchers and clinicians as to the underlying cause of many conditions (Figure 1).
It’s all in the Cells
Research by Donald E. Ingber, MD, PhD, a Harvard-based cell biologist, verified the cellular basis of biotensegrity by demonstrating the existence and mechanical properties of a protein framework inside each cell (cytoskeleton), which extends all the way down to the level of the DNA4 (Figure 2). In addition to the cytoskeleton, every cell of the body is bound to surrounding cells by a continuous fabric of proteins and carbohydrate chains called the extracellular matrix or ECM (Figure 3)5.
According to Dr. Ingber, mechanical stress caused by physical injury, as well as electrical or neurological stimulation, may alter the physical properties of the cellular and intercellular elements of the matrix, causing it to change from a flexible state to an expanded and rigid state (Figure 4).
Everything Is Connected: The Good News and the Bad News
On the positive side, the cytoskeleton and the ECM — the basis of the biotensegrity matrix (or simply the matrix) — work in tandem to provide stability, strength, flexibility, and a framework for optimal function of the entire body, maintaining cell structure, metabolism, organ function, circulation, movement, and growth. However, injury can lead to disruption of the matrix, which now appears to be an underlying factor in many structural disorders and other conditions.
I refer to these areas of tissue/cellular/molecular injury as primary restrictions (PRs). Because of the interconnectedness of our cell structure, primary restrictions create strain patterns (Figure 5), which cause muscles, ligaments, joints, and other pain-sensitive tissues to function abnormally and become strained, painful, and restricted. For example, you can feel this if you clench your fist and notice how it can instantly be felt as an increase in tension somewhere else in the body, such as the neck and shoulders. That illustrates how a source of tension in one part of the body caused by a pri mary restriction (in this case rep resented by the clenched fist) can result in strain and pain in another area. Those symptomatic areas are often blamed for the condition and usually become the focus of treatment. That may only provide short-term relief since the source of the injury within the deeper core structures has not been addressed, so the condition tends to return or become easily reinjured. That is why a fall on your left hip may create a source of tension that alters the way your right shoulder moves, resulting in shoulder pain even though you’ve never directly injured your shoulder. In this way, the body tends to accumulate layer upon layer of injuries (primary restrictions) over the course of a lifetime, resulting in structural imbalance, pain, and other health issues.
Biotensegrity Applied
Matrix Repatterning is founded on the scientific principles of biotensegrity, based on the research of Dr. Stephen Levin, and incorporates objective and reproducible methods. It has been clinically proven to help resolve many of the underlying sources of structural imbalance at the cellular level in an efficient and effective manner through a series of gentle treatments. Our goal is to share these discoveries with practitioners from around the world and help provide real solutions for those suffering from a wide range of painful and limiting conditions.
Dr. George Roth is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, and the Ontario College of Naturopathic Medicine. He also has studied osteopathic medicine at Doctors' Hospital North in Columbus, Ohio. He is the developer of Matrix Repatterning and the director of education at the Matrix Institute in Toronto. Dr. Roth has presented seminars at numerous hospitaland university-based symposia throughout North America. He coauthored Positional Release Therapy (Elsevier, 1997) with Kerry D'Ambrogio, PT. He is the author of The Matrix Repatterning Program for Pain Relief (New Harbinger, 2005), and his work is featured in the Brain's Way of Healing by Dr. Norman Doidge (Penguin, 2016).
References:
1. Levin S, Lowell de Solorzano S, Scarr G, The significance of closed kinematic chains to biological movement and dynamic stability. JBodyw Mov Thera 2017; 21(3): 664-672.
2. The Importance of Soft Tissues for Structural Support of the Body, SM Levin, In: Positional Release Therapy: Assessment & Treatment of Musculoskeletal Dysfunction, K D Ambrogio & GB Roth, Mo sby-Elsevier, St. Louis, 1997.
3. The Matrix Repatterning Program for Pain Relief, GB Roth, Wellness Systems Inc., New Harbinger Books, 2005.
4. Fantner GE, Hassenkam T, Kindt JH, Weaver JC, Birkedal H, Pechenik L, Cutroni JA, Cidade GA, Stuck)> GD, Morse DE, Hansma PK, Sacrificial bonds and hidden length dissipate energy as mineralized fibrils separate during bone fracture, Nat Mater. 2005 Aug;4(8):612-6. Epub 2005 Jul 17.
5. Ingber DE, The Architecture of Life, Scientific American, Vol. 1, 1998.
6. The Extracellular Matrix and Ground Regulation, Basis for a Holistic Biological Medicine, A Pischinger, North Atlantic Books, Berkley, 2007.
