Judging from their respon- siveness to pain-producing agents, the following receptor molecules are likely to be relevant for muscle pain and tenderness (Mense and Meyer 1985; Caterina and David 1999; McCleskey and Gold 1999; Mense 2007):

• Bradykinin (BKN) receptors (B1 and B2). BKN is cleaved from blood plasma proteins when a blood vessel breaks or increases its permeability so that plasma proteins enter the interstitial space. In intact tissue, BKN excites nerve endings by the activation of the BKN receptor molecule B2, whereas under pathological conditions (e.g., inflammation) the receptor B1 is the predominant one (Perkins and Kelly 1993; for a review of receptor molecules mediating the effects of classic inflammatory (pain-producing or algesic) substances, see Kumazawa 1996).
• Serotonin receptors (particularly 5-HT3). Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamin, 5-HT) is released from blood platelets during blood clotting. The stimulating effects of serotonin on nociceptive terminals in the body periphery are predomi- nantly mediated by the 5-HT3 receptor (at present, more than 15 different 5-HT receptors are known in the CNS). The serotonin concentrations released in the tissue are usually not sufficient to excite nociceptors directly, but they can sen- sitize them, i.e., make them more sensitive to other pain-producing agents such as BKN.
• Prostaglandins, particularly prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Prostaglandins (PGs) are released in a pathologically altered muscle by the enzymatic action of cycloox- igenases. PGE2 binds to a G protein-coupled prostanoid receptor (EP2) in the membrane of the nociceptive ending. Similarly to serotonin, PGE2 sensitizes nociceptors rather than exciting them under (patho)physiological circumstances (Mense 1981).
• Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). ASICs constitute a family of receptor molecules that are sensitive to a drop in pH and open at various pH values. The channel proteins react already to small pH changes, for instance from pH 7.4 to 7.1. This receptor family (for instance ASIC1 and ASIC3) is particularly impor- tant for muscle pain, because almost all pathologic changes in muscle are accom- panied by a drop in tissue pH, e.g., exhausting exercise, ischemia, and inflammation (Immke and McCleskey 2003). In these conditions, the pH of the muscle tissue can drop to 5–6. The proton-sensitive nociceptors may also be of importance for the induction of chronic muscle pain. Repeated intramuscular injections of acidic solutions have been reported to induce a long-lasting hyper- algesia (Sluka et al. 2001).
• P2X3 receptors. This receptor is a subtype of the purinergic receptors that are activated by ATP and its derivatives (Burnstock 2007; Ding et al. 2000). ATP is the energy-carrying molecule in all cells of the body; accordingly, it is present in every tissue cell. It is released from all tissues during trauma and other pathologic changes that are associated with cell death. For this reason, ATP has been considered a general signal substance for tissue trauma and pain (Cook and McCleskey 2002). ATP is particularly important for muscle pain, because it is present in muscle cells in high concentration (Stewart et al. 1994). When injected into human muscle, ATP causes pain (Mo ̈rk et al. 2003).
• Transient receptor potential receptor subtype 1 (TRPV1) formerly called VR1. This receptor is one of the most important molecules for the induction of pain. The natural stimulant for the TRPV1 receptor is Capsaicin, the active ingredient of chilli peppers (Caterina and Julius 2001). The receptor is also sensitive to an increase in H+-concentration and to heat, with a threshold of approximately 39C. Its endoge- nous ligands are H+-ions.
• Other TRP receptors. TRPV4 is a mechanosensitive ion channel that is sensitive to both weak and strong (noxious) intensities of local pressure (Liedtke 2005). It may be the receptor for mediating pain evoked by pinching and squeezing.
• Tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) receptor. The ligand of this receptor is NGF (Caterina and David 1999). NGF is well-known for its sensitizing action on nociceptors in the body periphery and neurons in the CNS; it is synthesized in muscle, and its synthesis is increased during pathophysiological changes of the muscle (e.g., inflammation, Menetrey et al. 2000; Pezet and McMahon 2006).
• Glutamate receptors. There is evidence indicating that the NMDA receptor (one of the receptors for glutamate) is present on nociceptive endings in masticatory muscles. Injections of glutamate into the masseter muscle in human subjects induced a reduction in pressure pain threshold which was attenuated by coinjection with ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist (Cairns et al. 2006).

The nerve to a locomotor muscle in the cat (the lateral GS) is composed of approximately one-third myelinated (720) and two-thirds unmyelinated (2,480) fibers (Table 2.2; Mitchell and Schmidt 1983; Stacey 1969). Nearly one quarter of the myelinated (group III) fibers had nociceptive properties in neurophysio- logical experiments (Mense and Meyer 1985). Of the unmyelinated fibers, 50% are sensory (group IV), and of these, approximately 55% have been found to be nociceptive in the rat (Hoheisel et al. 2005).

Data obtained from one muscle nerve cannot be transferred directly to other muscle nerves, because considerable differences exist between different muscles. For instance, neck muscle nerves of the cat contain unusually high numbers of sensory group III receptors (Abrahams et al. 1984). One possible explanation for these differences is that the muscles have different functions and environmental conditions: in contrast to the neck muscles, which must register the orientation of the head in relation to the body in fine detail, the locomotor hindlimb muscles often have to contract with maximal strength and under ischemic conditions.

In addition to nociceptors, there are other muscle receptors whose function is essential for the understanding of muscle pain:

• Muscle spindles are complex receptive structures that consist of several specialized muscle fibers (the so-called intrafusal muscle fibers; the name is derived from their location inside the spindle-shaped connective tissue sheath. Accordingly, all the “normal” muscle fibers outside the spindle are “extrafusal” fibers). Muscle spindles measure the length and the rate of length changes of the muscle, i.e., their discharge rate increases with increasing muscle length and with increasing velocity of the length change.
• Golgi (tendon) organs measure the tension of the muscle. They are arranged in series with the extrafusal muscle fibers; their location is the transition zone between muscle and tendon. The supplying fiber is the Ib afferent, whose structure is identical to the Ia fiber (thick myelin sheath and high conduction velocity). The receptor has a much simpler structure than the muscle spindle; it consists of receptive endings that are interwoven between the collagen fiber bundles of the tendon.
• Muscle spindles and Golgi organs are proprioceptors, i.e., they measure the internal state of the body.
• Pacinian corpuscles (PC) and paciniform corpuscles. These receptors do not respond to static pressure; they require dynamically changing mechanical stimuli, and are best excited by vibrations of relatively high frequency (close to 300 Hz; Kandel et al. 2000). The receptive ending is formed like a rod, and covered by several concentric membranes which give the receptor an onion-like appearance in cross-sections.

At present, little information is available about the innervation of fascia. This is an important gap in our knowledge, because fascia is an important component of the musculoskeletal system and likely to contribute to many forms of pain that are subsumed under the label “muscle” pain. One example is low back pain: The thoracolumbar fascia (TF) plays an essential role in body posture and trunk move- ments (Bogduk and Macintosh 1984). It is not only a passive transmitter of mechanical forces of the low back and abdominal muscles but also contractile by itself (Schleip et al. 2005).