Pain Signals That Heal: How Nerves Orchestrate Bone Repair

New research from Johns Hopkins Medicine has revealed a surprising role for pain-sensing nerves in bone fracture healing. Far from acting only as alarm systems that signal injury, sensory neurons actively guide the repair process. In mouse models, these “pain pathways” were shown to transform after a fracture—from nociceptors that report pain and inflammation into regenerative commanders that communicate directly with bone-forming cells. Using advanced techniques such as retrograde tracing and single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers mapped, for the first time, a detailed neural network linking peripheral sensory neurons to bone repair. These neurons release specific protein signals that stimulate blood vessel formation, stem cell differentiation, and new bone mineralization. Among these signals, neuron-derived fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) emerged as a critical driver of effective healing. This discovery bridges neuroscience and skeletal biology, offering promising targets to enhance bone repair, particularly in conditions like aging, diabetes, and neuropathy where healing is often compromised.

Source : https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260108/Neural-pain-pathways-found-to-play-crucial-role-in-bone-fracture-healing.aspx