Connective tissue as an organizing system is a chapter from Jan Jaap de Morree’s book Dynamics of Connective Tissue. In the sixth edition of this book published post mortem, Jan Jaap included an extensive passage on the modern understanding of the concept of architecture of connective tissue and the concept of fascia and tensegrity. I was allowed to edit this passage in detail.
Introduction
For the understanding of human movement and for therapeutic applications to movement problems, it is enlightening to consider the physical body as a connective tissue continuum from crown to toes, rather than as a bag of bones and organs. The knowledge and terminology of the bony skeleton, connective tissue skeleton, joint connective tissue, fascia and muscle connective tissue need not be jettisoned, but can be merged into what has been described in Anglo-Saxon literature as “the Organ of Form. The emphasis on form still neglects the importance of movement. Currently, the structure that allows us to move is referred to with a comprehensive term such as the “myofascia,” the architectural interplay of muscle fibers and connective tissue membranes. A moving human being is more than a “muscle and bone human being. It is an acting human being who moves purposefully using muscle tissue, with all parts connected and working together through connective tissue. Two concepts, tensegrity and fascia, both paint a picture of the body as a unit, where connective tissue is a wonderfully structured system. In fact, the title of the book Fascia; the tensional network of the human body, is an apt one-liner. Promising is the dynamic tensegrity model. (Tensegrity is a contraction of tension and structural integrity; tension and cohesion.) The concept comes from the visual arts and architecture.
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