Sensory Receptors

Rebels Without a Pause?

Erik Daltons
Freedom from Pain Institute

Myoskeletal
Alignment
Techniques
For Pain Management

Research conclusions from ongoing studies:

Soft tissues (previously viewed as purely mechanical
structures) are innervated and participate in active
balancing of the spine.
Specialized mechanoreceptors play major roles in
myofascial unwinding AND also initiate aberrant
feedback loops and muscle imbalance patterns due to
injured articular structures.

Muscle Joint
Reflexogenic Relationships

SENSORY RECEPTORS
Supply CNS input on stimuli such as pain, touch,
sound, light, heat and cold
Categorized by specific physiological duties such as
nociceptors,, mechano, chemo, thermo and
nociceptors
electromagnetic receptors
Transmit proprioceptive and nociceptive information
Change sensory stimuli into action potentials so the
CNS continually receives data on the overall body
environment.

Catch 22 Pain/Spasm/Pain Cycle

Murphy:
-- Added that changes in spinal joint soft tissue fibrosis
alters the normal instantaneous axis of rotation

Is impaired muscle function the primary cause of

joint dysfunction, or is the reverse true?

McLain 1994:

--Receptors monitor capsular tension

--Receptors
--Receptors
-Receptors may initiate protective reflexes important in preventing
preventing
joint degeneration.

Grieve:

--Postural
-Postural asymmetry joint blockage enhances fibroblastic activity
resulting in periarticular tissue fibrosis.

How Joints Affect Muscles

Joints influence muscle tone and therefore
muscle function.
The joints ability to alter muscle tone is
mediated by articular receptors.
In the joint capsule, the greatest number of
receptors are found in regions subject to
variation of tension during movement.
Articular receptors can inhibit or facilitate
muscle tone.

ARTICULAR RECEPTORS

ARTICULAR RECEPTORS

Freeman and Wyke categorized articular

receptors into four types: Type I, II, III, and IV.
Each is stimulated in a distinctive way and responds to
stimulation differently.
Type I and II mechanoreceptors act as physiological
receptors/ active during normal movement.
Type III and IV receptors normally inactive/ only
stimulated at extremes of movementmay function
under pathological conditions.

Ligament Innervation

Zygapophysial Joint Innervation

Jiang et al (1995) documented innervation of human

supraspinal /interspinal ligaments from 10 spinal
decompression surgery patients.
Dense collagen bundles of Ruffini corpuscles suggest
active monitoring of mechanical joint loading and
provide static positional awareness for postural control.
Jaings findings support concept of ligaments as part of
neurologic feedback mechanisms for protection and
stability of the spine.

Belief in zygapophysial joint pain dates back to

1933 when Ghormley coined the term facet
syndrome.
Facet innervation is derived from the medial branch of
the posterior primary division at the level of the joint
and the levels above and below.
Jeffries 1988 suggested that this multilevel innervation
is probably one reason why facet joint pain frequently
has a broad referral pattern.

McLains Facet Studies

McLain dissected human cervical facet capsules from
three normal subjects to determine the type, density,
and distribution of mechanoreceptive nerve endings.
Mechanoreceptors were found in 17 of 21 specimens
McLain concluded the presence of mechanoreceptive
and nociceptive nerve endings in cervical facet capsules
proves that neural input from facets is important to
proprioception and pain sensation in the cervical
spine.

Whiplash and Facets

Discogenic Pain

Barnsley et al double
double--blind, controlled diagnostic
blocks / Investigated cervical facets in 50 postpost-whiplash
patients / Found facets were most common source of
chronic neck pain.
Bogduk
Bogduk,, Hirsch et al, and Yamashita et al also
reported on rich innervation of facet joints.
They concurred that altered intersegmental and
segmental joint motion and postural distortions create
aberrant traffic in neuropathways
neuropathways..
Cross
Cross--talk perpetuates aberrant reflex alterations,
muscular and ligamentous alterations, inflammatory
responses and resultant pain syndromes.

Roofe (1940)
(1940)--1st evidence of anulus fibrosus nerve
fibers.
Bogduk (1983)
(1983)-- nerve fibers in outer 1/3 of lumbar
anulus fibrosus
fibrosus..
Farfan (1973)
(1973)--type 4 nerve receptors penetrating
nucleus, anulus and posterior longitudinal ligament.
Shinohara (1970)(1970) -nerve fibers penetrating degenerated
discs nuclei.
Garfin (1995) -disc compression of normal nerve leads
to paresthesias
paresthesias,, sensory deficits and motor losspain is
absent.

Wilberger and the

Silent Nerve Compression Syndrome
Wilberger et al 176 -lumbar myelographic herniated
discs in 108 asymptomatic patients.
Within 3 years, 64% developed lumbosacral
radiculopathy..
radiculopathy
Wilberger hypothesizes that time was required for
mechanical deformation to cause this silent nerve
compression syndrome.

29 yr. old male

Radicular Pain

40 yr. old male

FASCIAL PLASTICITY
Therapist hands often palpate a myofascial unwinding
as sustained pressure is applied to superficial and deep
myofascial layers.
Juhan attributed alteration in connective tissue
resilience to what is commonly called thixotropy or the
gel--to
gel
to--sol phenomenon.
Currier and Nelson - significantly more force, time
and heat must be generated in order to establish
permanent connective tissue deformation.
Oshman added piezoelectricity as a possible
explanation for fascial creep.

Robert Schleips
Observations on Fascial Plasticity
Schleip concurred: these mechanisms may be a viable
explanation for longlong -term tissue changes but
questioned their effectiveness for short term tissue
release experienced in clinic.
Schleip studies with anesthetized patients -in the
absence of neural connection, shortshort-term fascial
plasticity is lost.
Schleip
Schleip,, Pacinian
Pacinian receptors are likely to be stimulated
by highhigh-velocity thrust manipulations as well as in
vibratory techniques, whereas the Ruffini endings may
be activated by slow and deep melting quality soft
tissue techniques.

Golgi tendon organs

Golgi tendon organs (GTOs) arranged in a series
respond to slow stretch by resetting a muscles length,
inhibiting its synergistic stabilizers and facilitating its
antagonist.
Jami 1992 -passive myofascial stretching does not
stimulate GTOs.

Nociceptors as PainPain-Generators

Nociceptor mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli.

Nociceptor and chemoreceptor activation:

1.
2.
3.

Nerve fibers depolarized by joint capsule mechanical stresses

Thermal extremes
Inflammatory chemical agents such as histamines,
prostaglandins, bradykinins
bradykinins,, potassium ions, and lactic acid.

Nociceptors can quickly become major generators of

both myofascial and spinalspinal-pain syndromes.

Golgi tendon organs

Lederman 1997 -GTOs
able to reset their
muscles length during
dynamic forceful
contractions.
GTOs may serve a
protective function by
reflexively inhibiting its
agonist at the end range
of joint motion.

Postural Control
Soft tissues within and
surrounding spinal articulations
are densely populated with
sensory receptors.
Macro or microtrauma may create
joint misalignment and postural
distortions.
Injured articular structures initiate
and facilitate spinal reflex
pathways which increase
contractibility in paraspinal
musculature.

Nociceptors and Posture

Nociceptors and Posture

Dysfunctional
patterns that persist
long after the painful
stimulus has been
removed are referred
to as

LongLong -term CNS agitation by irritated nociceptors causes the

brain to twist and torque the body in an effort to avoid pain.
Regrettably, the brain has the ability to memorize these aberrant
aberrant
postural patterns.

Transversospinalis
Muscles are the body's primary movers and must
respond quickly to changes from neural structures.
When tight muscles pull unevenly on the bodys bony
framework, the joints axis of rotation and center of
gravity changes.
Prolonged joint misalignment (loss of joint play)
agitates sensory receptors in spinal joint capsules,
ligaments, discs, and transversospinalis muscles.

Transversospinalis

Particularly stressed are mechanoreceptors embedded

in overstretched capsules and the part of the joint
bearing excessive weight.

neuroplasticity
neuroplasticity
reflex entrainment
or spinal learning.

Transversospinalis Almost always pulls

insertion points toward origins when at work. As the TP
are pulled toward the SP, localized rotation and
sidebending occur.

GATING
Joint dysfunction results in muscle dysfunction by
changing gamma bias of spindle cells.
Joint injury, degeneration, inflammation, or muscle
guarding causes fewer mechanoreceptive fibers.
As we age we lose mechanoreceptors = cant gate.
Because nociceptors are free nerve endings they are not
as affected.
This explains why a minor trauma can cause much
pain or a major trauma can cause only minor pain.

CoCo-activating Nociceptors
Warmerdam 1999 - nociceptive gating best
achieved by stimulation of lowlow-threshold
mechanoreceptors near nociception origination.
Nociception originating from muscle = passive
massage, joint = dynamic stimulation produces
more sensory gating.

Joint Techniques to Lower PainPainGenerating Stimuli

Spinal soft tissue
manipulations that
initiate passive joint
movements result in
mechanoreceptive
stimulation.

Cutaneous vs. Articular Receptors

CoCo-activating Nociceptors
Lederman (1997) found
that successful
nociceptive gating
requires that the stimulus
be pain free or that the
gating movements take
place within a pain free
range.

Joint Techniques to Lower PainPainGenerating Stimuli

This technique creates
presynaptic inhibition of
the nociceptive afferent to
diminish or abolish the
perception of pain.
Sandoz restoring normal
joint structure /function
helps normalize
mechanoreceptive and
nociceptive input.

Passive Cutaneous Massage Release

Massage primarily stimulates cutaneous

receptors. Active or passive movements
primarily stimulate articular receptors = less
joint pain.
Active client participation better gates articular
nociceptors..
nociceptors
Active (rather than passive) positioning
improves proprioception since muscles are
allowed to play a larger role.

MUSCLE INHIBITION OR
ATROPHY?

Active Articular Release

Janda 1988 Although muscle weakness has usually

been considered a result of decreased activity,
inhibition may be an integral part of many, if not all,
forms of weakness.
Hurley (1997)(1997)- muscle weaknessweakness- two factors:
1. Decreased number of extrafusal muscle fibers
2. A failure to activate all muscle fibers

MUSCLE IMBALANCE
PATTERNS
Jandas Upper and Lower Crossed Syndromes -2 of
most common aberrant postural patterns.
Exposed to same stressors certain muscles become tight
and facilitated/ others weak and inhibited.
Abnormal afferent information:

poor posture
excessive physical
demands
joint blockage
habitual movement
patterns

painful or noxious stimuli

CNS malregulation
psychological
(emotional) stressors

Upper /Lower Crossed Syndromes

Porterfield and DeRosal - forward posture factors
other than scapular retractors stretch weakness.
weakness and lengthening of abdominal muscles allows the
chest to fall causing an anterior upper trunk weight shift.
As gravitation exposure pulls upper trunk forward on the rib
cage, the scapulae externally rotate and protract forcing
clavicle to drop on the first rib.

The clavicular head of pectoralis major and hypertonic

latissimus dorsi internally rotate the humerus forcing
the neck and head to follow.

A decreased number or size of extrafusal fibers may

be termed atrophy
atrophy,, whereas failure to activate all
muscle fibers may be termed inhibition
inhibition..

Upper Crossed Syndrome

Are the weak lower
shoulder stabilizers
solely responsible
for the aberrant
forward head
posture seen in the
upper crossed
syndrome?

Nociceptive Reflexes and

Somatic Dysfunction
Somatic Dysfunction ModelModel- restriction in mobility, autonomic,
visceral, and immunologic changes produced by painpain-related
sensory neurons and their reflexes.
Nociceptor muscular guarding reactions and autonomic
activation from stressed/damaged myoskeletal or visceral tissue.
Guarding - abnormal myoskeletal position and decreased ROM.
Local inflammatory responses and autonomic reflexes reinforce
nociceptor activity, maintaining restriction.
Nociceptive autonomic reflexes= visceral/immunologic changes.
Abnormal guarding in muscles, joints, related tissues =changes in
in
connective tissues, solidifying the abnormal position.
Stretching tissues into normal range of motion may restimulate
nociceptors,, reinforcing the somatic dysfunction.
nociceptors

CONCLUSION
Patients benefit by restoring balance/function to all soft tissue
tissue
structures.
A model for using receptor techniques to correct aberrant postural
postural
patterns is helpful in the clinical setting.
Impaired Neuromyoskeletal functions can cause stress, pain and
altered performance of internal organs, hormonal systems and
psycho--immunological functions.
psycho
Working with the sensory receptor system, trained therapists can
determine if problems are primarily within muscles, fasciae or joint
joint-related tissues or if the problem exists elsewhere.
With assessment and treatment training, a therapist can more
efficiently determine dysfunction sites and improve structure.
This leads to higher functioning in the selfself -regulating and selfself protecting mechanisms of the body.