Joints - Nerve Supply

In contrast to blood supply, joints are very well supplied with sensory nerves. The major sensation from joints is proprioception, which allows us to know what position our limbs are in. We also have pain sensation in joints carried by branches of larger nerves in the area. Thus, joint pain is often referred to the skin overlying the joint or the muscles around the joint.

The major point to remember about joint innervation is Hilton's Law: A nerve innervating muscles that act across a joint must also supply sensory fibers to that joint. So, for example, the femoral nerve which supplies the quadriceps muscles also sends sensory branches to the knee joint.