Tension + Integrity = Spinal Tensegrity
Understanding spinal tensegrity—where tension plus integrity equals optimal function—can help explain why regular chiropractic adjustments contribute to better well-being.
What Is Spinal Tensegrity?
The concept of tensegrity (tensional integrity), coined by Buckminster Fuller, refers to how structures maintain stability through a balance of compression and tension. Applying this to the human spine, we can move beyond the outdated view of the spine as a static column of stacked bones. Instead, the spine functions more like a balloon—expanding, contracting, and redistributing stress through a three-dimensional network of bones, discs, connective tissues, and nerves.
The Spine Is Not a Stack of Blocks
Unlike buildings that rely on continuous compression and collapse when a structural point fails, the human spine is resilient and adaptive. It absorbs and distributes internal and external stress dynamically—like a balloon that spreads pressure throughout its surface.
Newton’s Third Law and the Vertemere
According to Newton’s Third Law, for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. The spine exemplifies this law by converting external compression into internal expansion, maintaining integrity and stability through what chiropractors refer to as the vertemere—a complex unit of vertebrae, discs, and surrounding tissue.
This conversion of stress into functional energy is possible because the spine adapts through tensegrity, helping the entire body remain in balance.
Why Chiropractors Focus on Spinal Tensegrity
The neurological system runs through the spine, coordinating trillions of cellular functions through mental impulses. When spinal tensegrity is disrupted by poor posture, trauma, or chronic stress, it can lead to vertebral subluxation—interference that affects nerve function.
Regular chiropractic adjustments help restore optimal spinal tone and alignment, supporting effective neurological communication, better adaptation to stress, and higher potential for well-being.
