Improving the New Definition of Fascial System

The Sentient Cell: Implications for Osteopathic Medicine

The Foundation of Osteopathic Research and Clinical Endorsement (FORCE) is an organization that includes various figures involved in clinical and non-profit research and does not depend on any private or government body. To better understand how the human body behaves, we need to observe cellular behavior. Considering the human body as layers, districts, and regions, or just as a machine, is severely limiting to understanding the systemic mechanisms that are implemented to maintain bodily health. For some years, FORCE has contributed several articles to the literature to support the view of a human body as a unit, a fascial continuum (solid and fluid fascia) capable of interacting consciously, and not as a passive mirror, with respect to external stresses. The article reviews the tensegrity theory applied to the cell, trying to bring to light that the mechanistic vision on which this theory is based does not meet biological reality. We review some concepts related to biology, the science that studies life, and quantum physics, the science that studies the invisible physical phenomena that underlie life. Understanding that the cells and tissues are aware of the therapeutic approaches they receive could better guide the decisions of the osteopathic clinician.

Fascial Nomenclature: Update 2022

The connective tissue or fascia plays key roles in maintaining bodily function and health. The fascia is made up of solid and fluid portions, which interpenetrate and interact with each other, forming a polymorphic three-dimensional network. In the vast panorama of literature there is no univocal thought on the nomenclature and terminology that best represents the concept of fascia. The Foundation of Osteopathic Research and Clinical Endorsement (FORCE) organization brings together various scientific figures in a multidisciplinary perspective. FORCE tries to find a common nomenclature that can be shared, starting from the scientific notions currently available. Knowledge of the fascial continuum should always be at the service of the clinician and never become an exclusive for the presence of copyright, or commodified for the gain of a few. FORCE is a non-profit organization serving all professionals who deal with patient health. The article reviews the concepts of fascia, including some science subjects rarely considered, to gain an understanding of the broader fascial topic, and proposing new concepts, such as the holographic fascia.

Fascial Nomenclature: Update 2021, Part 1

The fascial continuum is a topic for which all clinicians and other healthcare professionals come into contact on a daily basis, both consciously and without having the idea that the tissues they deal with can fall within the concept of fascia. The Foundation of Osteopathic Research and Clinical Endorsement (FORCE) organization includes many clinicians and health professionals, as well as researchers in different scientific disciplines. The goal is to dissect some concepts related to daily practice, such as fascial tissue, from a scientific point of view and impartially. Proof of the impartiality of FORCE is the fact that it does not sell any fascial products, no tools, and, above all, all the fascial terminology used has no copyright: research and knowledge are the right of anyone who wishes improvement for the good of the patient. The article aims to review the themes that could add new elements for a broader view of the meaning and nomenclature of the fascial system.

The Vegetative Receptor-Vascular Reflex (VRVR) - A New Key to Regeneration

OBJECTIVE

We describe a potentially new physiological reflex path that has so far been neglected but which could be used for a novel therapeutic approach: The vegetative receptor-vascular reflex. This is a physiological response that starts from the connective tissue and influences the whole organism. We cross-fertilized various research areas with each other.

KEY FINDINGS

The matrix or the connective tissue forms a passive reservoir of substrate for the growth and development of cells, and functions as the primordial communication system of all living systems. It contains a continuous network of cells, such as fibroblasts, along with protein bundles made up of collagen that support electrical exchange through piezoelectric effects. This archaic vegetative system surrounds all cells, including neurons, and can thus be viewed as the primordial coordinating system in every organism. It is very likely the basis for a reflex which we describe here for the first time: the vegetative receptor vascular reflex. We also indicate some potential practical applications and test procedures.

CONCLUSION

The vegetative receptor vascular reflex describes the pathway from stimuli that originate in the connective tissue or the extracellular matrix toward organ systems. They might be chemical in nature or electrical via piezo-electric effects stimulating nerve endings, and thus can influence higher order processes such as regeneration or healing of tissue. Thus, this reflex lends itself to a novel therapeutic approach via certain types of manipulation of the connective tissue.

The Cranial Bowl in the New Millennium and Sutherland's Legacy for Osteopathic Medicine: Part 1

A theoretical model that does not evolve with new information deriving from scientific research, by changing the assumptions from which it was born, becomes a philosophy; the scientist becomes a scholarch. Cranial manual osteopathic medicine is very controversial, although it is commonly practiced, from the clinician to the nonmedical health worker. The article, divided into two parts, reviews the assumptions with which the cranial model was created, highlighting the scientific innovations and new anatomical-physiological reflections. In the first part we will review the synthesis and movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the movement of the central and peripheral nervous system; we will highlight the mechanical characteristics of the meninges. The aim of the article is to highlight the need to renew the existing cranial model.

Inhibitory Tests as Assessment Tools for Somatic Dysfunctions: Mechanisms and Practical Applications

The capital element in the field of osteopathy and several other manual therapy methods, is the somatic dysfunction (SD), a functional imbalance that can involve different tissues and mechanisms in its genesis and maintenance. The main challenges found in the clinical scope are to understand the interaction, hierarchy, and relevance of the SD. Several manual tests are available to functionally evaluate the SD, each one with its applicability to analyze the different parameters of the SD. The so-called inhibitory tests are a category of functional manual tests that can be added to the diagnostic context of the SD. It is a particular type of test in which the evaluator applies manual mechanical stimuli to dysfunctional tissues and assesses the biological responses that occur simultaneously with the application of the stimulus. Its use can consider biomechanical and neurological principles in such a way that different conditions can be analyzed. The objective of this article is to review well-established knowledge and recent scientific discoveries about the SD and its local and global repercussions, in an attempt to offer ideas that can be applied to better understand the mechanisms that imply the use of inhibitory tests as complementary clinical diagnostic tools. It will be discussed some of the possible mechanisms involved in the physiology of the inhibitory tests, their practical applications in some distinct conditions, as well as new proposals of utilization based on the sensitization of metameric related structures under a dysfunctional state.

A Review of the Theoretical Fascial Models: Biotensegrity, Fascintegrity, and Myofascial Chains

The fascial tissue includes solid and liquid fascia (body fluids such as blood and lymph). The fascia's nomenclature is the subject of debate in the academic world, as it is classified starting from different scientific perspectives. This disagreement is not a brake but is, in reality, the real wealth of research, the multidisciplinarity of thought and knowledge that leads to a deeper understanding of the topic. Another topic of discussion is the fascial model to conceptualize the human body, that is, how the fascial tissue fits into the living. Currently, there are some models: biotensegrity, fascintegrity, and myofascial chains. Biotensegrity is a mechanical model, which takes into consideration the solid fascia; fascintegrity considers the solid and the liquid fascia. Myofascial chains converge attention on the movement and transmission of force in the muscle continuum. The article is a reflection on fascial models and how these are theoretical-scientific visions that need to be further investigated.

The Benefits and Limitations of Evidence-based Practice in Osteopathy

Evidence-based practice (EBP) arises from evidence-based medicine (EBM). The latter represents a movement of thought born in the second half of the 19th century, while the EBP is born since the new millennium, represented by different scientific figures and professional associations. The EBP is the research for the best practical and clinical strategies, with the ultimate goal of determining guidelines. The improvement of manual osteopathic practice derives from the balanced mix of scientific research, operator experience and patient experience. The text reviews the benefits and limitations of EBP in the osteopathic field. We must remember that knowledge, both theoretical and practical, is always evolving and we must not stop at what appears to be a dogma. Science and knowledge are always evolving, and hence, we must always study and update ourselves.