Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
08:32
Author Spotlight: Advancing Tendon Research by Developing Mouse Assembloids to Understand Cellular Mechanisms
Published on: March 22, 2024
1.1K
Tendon pain - what are the mechanisms behind it?
Paul W Ackermann1,2, Md Abdul Alim3,4,5, Gunnar Pejler4,6
1Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Scandinavian Journal of Pain
|July 19, 2022
Summary
Chronic tendon pain stems from nerve ingrowth and neuro-immune pathways, not degeneration. Treatments like eccentric exercises target nerve regeneration to manage tendinopathy pain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Musculoskeletal Medicine
- Pain Research
Background:
- Chronic tendon pain, or tendinopathy, management is challenging due to poorly understood mechanisms.
- Previous understanding linked degeneration and neovascularization to pain, but this review challenges those assumptions.
Approach:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted to synthesize current information on the mechanisms of chronic tendon pain.
- The review focused on identifying key factors contributing to pain signaling in tendons.
Key Points:
- Chronic tendon pain is characterized by sensory nerve ingrowth into the tendon proper, unlike healthy tendons.
- Elevated levels of pain neuromediators (glutamate, substance P) and heightened pain receptor activity (NMDAR1, NK1) are observed.
- Neuro-immune pathways, involving mast cells and neurogenic inflammation, play a significant role in pain regulation.
Conclusions:
- Tendinopathy pain mechanisms involve nerve sprouting, elevated pain mediators, and activated pain receptors, contributing to neuro-immune signaling.
- Current evidence-based treatments like eccentric exercises and extracorporeal shockwave therapy aim to promote nerve regeneration.
- Future pharmacological strategies may target nerve growth factors, semaphorins, and glutamate-NMDA-receptor pathways to treat chronic tendon pain.
Related Concept Videos
01:44Nociception
29.3K
Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain.
29.3K
01:22Somatic Spinal Reflexes
2.7K
Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
2.7K
01:29Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones
11.7K
Bones are dynamic organs that require a rich supply of oxygen and nutrients. Around 5% to 10% of the cardiac output supplies blood to the bones. A typical long bone has three main sources: the nutrient artery, the metaphyseal and epiphyseal arteries, and the periosteal arteries.
Nutrient Artery
The nutrient artery is the main blood vessel that enters the diaphysis via the nutrient foramen. While most long bones have only one nutrient foramen, large bones, such as the femur, may have two. This...
Nutrient Artery
The nutrient artery is the main blood vessel that enters the diaphysis via the nutrient foramen. While most long bones have only one nutrient foramen, large bones, such as the femur, may have two. This...
11.7K
01:20Pain
618
Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...
618
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
783
Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
783
01:12Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
6.6K
Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
6.6K