Fascial Innervation: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Systematic review of animal, cadaveric, and basic science histological studies.
PubMed 35628484 · doi:10.3390/ijms23105674
What was done
A systematic review was conducted across PubMed and Google Scholar for studies published between 2000 and 2021 examining muscular and deep fascia innervation using histological or immunohistochemical techniques. The review identified 23 studies: 10 in humans, 5 in rats, 4 in mice, 2 in horses, and 2 evaluating both humans and rats.
What was found
The abstract reports counts of study characteristics rather than pooled quantitative effect sizes. Across the 23 included studies, the most common markers were Protein Gene Product 9.5 (12 studies), Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (10 studies), S100 (10 studies), substance P (7 studies), and tyrosine hydroxylase (6 studies). The thoracolumbar fascia was the most frequently examined anatomical site. Innervation types ranged from free nerve endings to Pacini and Ruffini corpuscles, predominantly representing nociceptors and proprioceptors. Nociceptive innervation density was reported to be increased in pathological fasciae.
Why it matters
This review maps the anatomical presence and neurochemical profile of nerve fibers within muscular and deep fascia, reinforcing the biological plausibility of fascia as an active contributor to musculoskeletal pain.
Limits
The included literature spans multiple species (rodents, horses, humans) and diverse anatomical regions, limiting direct cross-study comparability. Quantitative innervation density and standardized diagnostic criteria for pathological states were not statistically synthesized in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Fascial connective tissue contains a high density of nerve endings.