# Do bones really feel pain?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bones-really-feel-pain/337432>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 28, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bones-really-feel-pain/337432 "2005-12-28T12:46:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Midget\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@Midget\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Midget_Jones)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bones-really-feel-pain/337432/1 "2005-12-28T12:46:12Z")

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Do bones really feel pain, or is it the muscles and nerve endings surrounding the bones which actually register the pain?

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bones-really-feel-pain/337432/2 "2005-12-28T14:30:54Z")

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Isn’t it always the nerve endings that “feel” the pain?

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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bones-really-feel-pain/337432/3 "2005-12-28T15:31:25Z")

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As **Death Ray** said, it’s always the nerves which ultimately register the pain. In terms of bones, they are covered by a thin layer of tissue called the _periosteum_. It is nerves in the [periosteum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periosteum) that “feel” bone pain.