| painless, and can often result in
global reorganization and postural stabilization, encouraging
the body towards normal, pain-free function. It is currently in
use by physical therapists, chiropractors, physicians, osteopaths,
athletic trainers, massage therapists and veterinarians on five
continents and ten countries around the world.
The Tensegrity Matrix
Matrix Repatterning is based on a revolutionary, new model of
the underlying structure of organic tissue – the Tensegrity
Matrix – which explains the complex interrelationship of
all the structural components of the body. It extends the basic
concept of the tissue response to injury, beyond the level of
joint, muscle and ligament, to include all structures of the body
as potential sources of dysfunction.
"The word 'tensegrity' is an invention: a
contraction of 'tensional integrity’. Tensegrity describes
a structural-relationship principle in which structural shape
is guaranteed by the finitely closed, comprehensively continuous,
tensional behaviors of the system and not by the discontinuous
and exclusively local compression member behaviors. Tensegrity
provides the ability to yield increasingly without ultimately
breaking or coming asunder."
- Buckminster Fuller 1
The tensegrity matrix model of the body, as elaborated by Stephen
Levin, M.D.2 and Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. 3,
holds that the body tissues are composed of interconnected tension
icosohedra (complex triangular trusses), which inherently provide
a balance between stability and mobility. This structural model
explains many of the observed phenomena related to body support,
movement, response to stress and trauma, as well as the effects
of various therapeutic interventions. This theory has been verified
by several studies in recent years. According to Ingber, a key
investigator who has proven the existence of this structural model
at the cellular level:
“The principles of tensegrity apply at
essentially every detectable size scale in the human body. At
the macroscopic level, the 206 bones that constitute our skeleton
are pulled up against the force of gravity and stabilized in a
vertical form by the pull of tensile muscles, tendons and ligaments.
In other words, in the complex tensegrity structure inside every
one of us, bones are the compression struts, and muscles, tendons
and ligaments are the tension-bearing members.”
- Donald E. Ingber, M.D., Ph.D.,
“The Architecture of Life”

Figure 1- Normal and Restricted Molecular Structure |
When the ability of the tissues to adapt
or compensate becomes overwhelmed by mechanical or physiologic
stress, the fascial system responds by altering the patterns
of tension and elasticity. The tensegrity matrix explains
the physiologic changes, which manifest in injured or strained
tissue. The apparent fibrosis of muscle and fascia can be
seen as an altered electro-mechanical relationship at the
molecular level. The matrix is thus converted from a neutral,
flexible form to a strained, high-energy, linearly-stiffened
mode as shown here in Figure 1. |
Primary Restrictions
When the force of an injury enters the body it is rapidly transmitted
throughout the tensegrity matrix and thus throughout the body.
Moderate forces are easily dissipated due to the elastic properties
of the matrix. Excessive force, beyond a certain threshold, may
potentially be absorbed by the matrix, causing the molecular elements
to be raised to a higher energetic state (see: Figure 2). When
force is transmitted through the tissues and encounters a dense
surrounding material – such as water or bone – the
energy may become even more focused and trapped locally. This
focusing of force (or energy) is illustrated by the circle in
the center of Figure 2. The small black dots represent the increased
concentration of molecules inside a dense visceral structure or
bone. This focusing effect is like a magnifying glass that tends
to concentrate the mechanical energy of a strain or an impact
into the molecular elements of the matrix, within or surrounding
the dense ground substance.

Figure 2 - Force Transmission Through a Dense Matrix |
| Water-filled internal organs
(such as the heart, liver, spleen and kidneys) and crystalline
bone, due to their density, tend to absorb much of the force
of injury. It has been our experience that these tissues
are often the sites of primary restriction in otherwise
resistant cases. Patterns of tension arising from these
primary restrictions create aberrant motion and strain in
structures throughout the body. This, in turn, results in
disturbed biomechanics and an increased degree of stretch
on pain sensitive structures such as joints and fascial
tissues. The primary restriction itself is often painless
after the acute phase and only becomes painful upon direct
stimulation (tender or trigger points). The resulting stain
patterns are illustrated in Figure 3. |

Figure 3 - Strain Patterns |
Assessment
The goal of the assessment is to precisely locate the primary
restrictions. The process relies on the interlinked nature of
the entire fascial structure of the body. A primary restriction
in one location will transmit a certain amount of tension throughout
the entire body, producing a background level of tension we refer
to as the tissue barrier. Changing the primary restriction should,
in turn, change the tissue barrier.
An important feature of tensegrity matrix is that the normal
and the restricted structural states are accompanied by completely
different electronic properties. Superimposing a normal electrical
field over the abnormal field within the primary restriction will
tend to shift the second field toward normal. This phenomenon,
referred to as entrainment4, would have the effect of temporarily
restoring normal molecular tension within the primary site, thus
softening the tissue barrier of the entire body. This may be felt
as an increased compliance in another part, for example the rib
cage or a muscle belly. Thus, monitoring the tissue barrier at
one location, the practitioner is able to systematically scan
the entire body for the precise locations of each of the primary
restrictions.
Treatment
Matrix Repatterning incorporates several specific manipulative
techniques5. The principle of treatment is the release of fascial
restrictions at the molecular level. It has been demonstrated
that gentle compression of tissues results in a piezo-electric
effect6. This causes electrons, associated with the chemical bonds
in the involved tissues, to generate a form of intrinsic current.
This effect has been demonstrated in bone repair and occurs when
it is placed under compression. The resulting flow of electrons
may allow the excess stored charge within the restricted molecules
to discharge, in the same manner as a capacitor releases excess
energy. A gentle, gradual pressure, referred to as induction,
or a sudden movement, referred to as directional recoil, may be
utilized.
Treatments are generally painless and work in harmony with the
body’s healing processes. Matrix Repatterning practitioners
utilize specific, objective tests to monitor the effectiveness
of treatment. Significant abnormal findings in ranges of motion
and other functional tests are used as a baseline reference for
structural change. The result of acting on the primary foci can
be readily observed in the often dramatic and immediate changes,
which occur upon re-examination.
Case Study
A 31-year-old Caucasian female presented with acute low back
pain and radiation into the anterior thigh on the left and into
the right leg to the level of the dorsum of the foot. Pain was
aggravated by sitting, flexion and lateral flexion to the right.
The patient used her arms while sitting to support the weight
of the trunk in order to avoid pressure on the sacrum. There were
two previous acute episodes dating back seven years, including
a severe fall on the “tailbone” after slipping on
the deck of a boat. Chronic low back stiffness and moderate, occasional
pain was present between acute episodes. The patient had been
receiving regular chiropractic care over the years.
Examination revealed extremely limited flexion and lateral flexion
to the right. Meningeal stretch (Soto-Hall test) aggravated symptoms.
Neurological signs were nominal. The right sacro-iliac was in
an ‘upslip’ pattern and the sacrum was in a state
of intrinsic flexion (intraosseous). The right ilium was also
compressed in a vertical pattern (intraosseous). The lumbar spine
was hypermobile at the level of L4 and L5. The left knee demonstrated
a positive drawer test for the posterior cruciate ligament (the
patient subsequently mentioned a recurring pain in that knee on
descending stairs). The mid-cervical spine was significantly rotated
to the left and the ipsilateral articular processes were very
tender to palpation. Visceral fascial lesions were found in the
area of Glisson’s capsule of the liver and the right kidney.
Treatment was applied to the sacro-iliac, sacrum, ilium, kidney
and liver fascia, and the meninges. Re-examination after the first
treatment revealed a 50% improvement in lumbar motion, stabilization
of the lumbar spine and the left knee and the patient was able
to sit comfortably for the first time in over a week. Follow-up
therapy was directed at scar tissue resulting from two previous
episiotomies. After four treatments, the patient was completely
symptom-free and orthopedic indices were normal.
References:
1. Synergetics, RB Fuller, MacMillan, New York, 1975.
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, Mosby-Elsevier, St. Louis, 1997.
3. The Architecture of Life, DE Ingber, Scientific American,
Vol. 1, 1998.
4. Energy Medicine, The Scientific Basis, JL Oschman. Churchill
Livingstone, New York, 2001.
5. Matrix Repatterning®, The Structural Basis of Health,
GB Roth, The Matrix Repatterning Center, Toronto, 2001.
6. Streaming and piezoelectric potentials in connective tissues.
LA MacGuintie, In: Blank M (ed) Electromagnetic fields: biological
interactions and mechanisms. Advances in Chemistry Series 250.
American Chemical Society, Washington DC, ch. 8, pp 125-142, 1995.
Dr. George Roth, D.C., N.D.
is a practitioner with over 25 years experience in the field of
energy medicine. He has developed a number of leading-edge technologies
to assist individuals in the achievement of optimal wellness.
He lectures extensively to various groups and educational institutions
and is a published author.
For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact
Dr. George B. Roth,
The Matrix Repatterning Center,
33 Victoria Street, Aurora, Ontario, Canada, L4G 1R1
Phone: 905-726-8770
1-877-905-7684
Fax: 905 726-8575
Email: info@matrixrepatterning.com
Web site: www.MatrixRepatterning.com
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