Fibrosis versus plasticity: a tensegrity-based framework for acupuncture as an exploratory modulator of tissue
1Nässjö Läkarhus, Region Jönköping County, Jönköping, Sweden.
Background:
Fibrosis represents a progressive loss of tissue adaptability characterized by increased extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness, impaired mechanotransduction, and reduced capacity for tonus and form restoration. Although fibrosis is commonly investigated at molecular or organ-specific levels, its system-wide biomechanical implications remain insufficiently explored. Tensegrity theory provides an architectural framework in which connective tissue functions as a pre-stressed, load-redistributing network.
Objective:
To propose a mechanistic model in which acupuncture is conceptualized as a localized mechanical perturbation within a tensegrity-regulated connective tissue system, with potential to modulate the fibrosis-plasticity continuum and support recovery of impaired tissue adaptability.
Methods:
A conceptual framework integrating connective tissue biomechanics, fibroblast mechanosensing, and viscoelastic remodeling is developed. Neuroendocrine mechanisms are incorporated as secondary modulators influencing response velocity and variability rather than primary causal drivers. Measurable biomechanical proxies are defined to enable empirical testing.
Conclusion:
A tensegrity-based interpretation allows acupuncture to be studied as an architectural intervention targeting impaired plasticity rather than as a purely neuro-reflexive therapy. This framework enables hypothesis-driven exploration of recovery trajectories in fibrotic, age-related, and chronic functional conditions.
