New principle discovered for how muscle pain is signaled

Muscles require sensory organs called muscle spindles. Their work is to inform the brain of changes in muscle duration. Muscle spindles therefore contain a particular type of large diameter nerve filaments that token stretch of the muscle. The Umeå scientists’ studies explain that muscle spindles also contain sparkish nerve filaments with pain receptors. When a muscle is damaged because a result of overloading, these twinge receptors are activated by the deliver of a signal substance from the contiguous stretch-sensitive nerve filaments in the muscle arbor.

It was previously believed that the torment receptors in muscles were exclusively base in the membranes that surround the muscles or in relationship with the blood vessels in the muscle. With these of recent origin findings the Umeå researchers are drawing attention to a hitherto unknown and engaging mechanism. Damage to the stretch-sensitive nerve filaments of the muscle axis may contribute to and sustain inveterate pain in jaw muscles as well like in other muscles.