Free nerve endings are bare, branching sensory nerve terminals with no capsule, found in the epidermis, dermis, cornea, joints and most internal tissues. They are the most widespread sensory receptors in the body. They serve pain, temperature and itch, and some respond to crude touch.
| Location | Throughout the body: epidermis, dermis, cornea, muscle, joints and viscera |
|---|---|
| Parts |
|
| Nerve Supply | A-delta thinly myelinated and C unmyelinated fibres of the regional sensory nerves |
| Blood Supply | Supplied by the local tissue microcirculation |
Detect potentially harmful stimuli (nociception), warmth and cold, itch and crude touch.
Pain from free nerve endings travels in two fibre types: thin myelinated A-delta fibres give sharp, fast pain and C fibres give slow, burning pain. In small-fibre neuropathy these endings are lost, causing burning feet with normal routine nerve conduction tests; skin biopsy measures their density. Local anaesthetics block these small fibres early.
Loss of small sensory fibres and their free endings, often from diabetes or prediabetes, causing burning pain, tingling and altered temperature sense.
After tissue injury or inflammation, free nerve endings become more sensitive, so normally harmless touch or heat becomes painful.
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