The piezoelectric effect is a property of crystals and many crystalline materials. In short, in is the phenomenon whereby, when a mechanical force is applied to a crystal causing it to bend, the crystal generates an electrical impulse. Quartz watches are a familiar example. A very small electric current, supplied by the watch battery, causes the small quartz crystal inside to bend ever-so-slightly thousands of times each second – 32,768 times per second, to be exact. With each bend the watch generates an electrical pulse due to the piezoelectric effect occurring in the quartz. Seconds are measured by counting up each interval of 32,768 pulses.
Mineral Matrix in Bone: Crystalline Structures
The matrix of hydrated minerals within our bones – calcium, phosphorus, boron, zinc, magnesium, and others – exists as what is referred to as a crystalline structure. It is not arranged with the atomic regularity of inorganic crystals such as salt or quartz. Nevertheless, the minerals are orderly enough that its crystalline structure imparts properties to it that maintain its health, such as facilitating ion exchange and optimizing the tradeoff between strength flexibility.
Bone as a Piezoelectric Organ
Bone is also piezoelectric, and it is this property I want to highlight here. When we apply mechanical stress that creates a bend of even just 0.01nanometers (nm) of deformation in the bone, the bone generates an electrical charge in response to that stress. To give you an idea of how small that bend needs to be in order to generate the charge, 0.01nm is 1/40th the width of a single calcium atom! The slightest amount of stress imaginable results in the production of that electrical charge across the surface of the bone, and of course the larger the stress applied the greater the charge that’s generated.
The Role of Charge in Bone Remodeling
Nature never lets an electrical charge go to waste, and the charge generated by stress applied to bones is no exception. Studies have shown that the charge stimulates the build up (on the concave side of the bend) and breakdown (on the convex side of the bend) of bone material so that every applied stress, no matter how small, is encouraging bone to actively remodel itself.
Stretching, Tendons, and Ligaments Generate Piezoelectric Effects
This is what’s behind the encouragement to engage in weight-bearing exercise to maintain bone health. It is also a reason to engage in stretching exercises as well. Stretching puts tension on tendons (which connect muscle to bone) and ligaments (which connect bone to bone). This, in turn, generates a charge that activates the cells that remodel the bones to adapt to the stress. And that brings me to the second and perhaps more significant benefit of a regular stretching routine: connective tissue.
Connective Tissue: More Than Just Flexibility
Bones are classified as connective tissue. So are tendons and ligaments. So is skin and collagen, the strong-yet-flexible glue that fills the space between our cells and anchors our skin to the underlying muscle. Just as bones produce a piezoelectric effect when stress is applied to them, so does all the other connective tissue. Stretching, then, is not simply enhancing our flexibility. It is literally generating an electrical charge throughout our bodies.
Yoga & the Universal Charge
I agree with Dr. Jerry Pollack that charge is the fundamental force in the universe, and that it is the animating force in living organisms. Stretching is as cheap as a therapy can get. Of course yoga is a widely practiced discipline that involves the regular and systematic application of stress to connective tissue throughout the body. I think it is not coincidental that the practice of yoga enhances the production and distribution of charge throughout the body, and yoga is the most enduring spiritual practice known. Perhaps enhancing the electrical charge in our bodies can act to “plug us in” to the charge that literally moves the universe.
Practical Tips: Stretching Routines & Hydration
While practicing yoga is one way to stretch your connective tissue on a regular basis, there are hundreds of videos available online that can lead you through gentle stretching routines that focus on virtually every joint and tissue in the body.
A final comment on this topic is that the amplitude of the piezoelectric effect created by applying stress to bones and connective tissue – the density of the electrical charge – is closely related to the hydration level of that tissue. It is the water hydrating our tissue that provides the electrons and carries the electrical charge around our bodies. I have written extensively about water and its therapeutic properties in the past. Suffice it to say here that stretching without maintaining adequate hydration will diminish the potential benefit of the practice.
Very informative article, thank you Dr Nigh!