{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T16:07:21Z","timestamp":1775146041325,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":128,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774915200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomedicines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Different types of skeletal muscle fibers display marked heterogeneity in metabolic, mechanical, and regenerative properties. However, their role in chronic musculoskeletal pain remains insufficiently integrated into clinical models. Chronic pain is associated with altered neuromuscular control, prolonged low-level activation, and reduced recruitment of high-threshold motor units. These factors may promote fiber type-specific remodeling. This narrative review critically synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and muscle fiber types. The focus was on metabolic vulnerability, mechanical susceptibility, and regenerative capacity. A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, focused on human studies and key translational models. Chronic musculoskeletal pain is characterized by acquired fiber type-specific adaptations rather than a fixed unfavorable profile. In chronic pain scenarios, Type I fibers present features of chronic overload, including hypertrophy with insufficient capillarization and increased satellite cell activity. Type II fibers exhibit relative disuse, atrophy, and reduced satellite cell content, resembling accelerated muscle aging. Symptom duration, neuromuscular control strategies, and task-specific loading patterns modulate these adaptations, with interindividual variation. Muscle dysfunction in chronic pain reflects maladaptive but potentially reversible neuromuscular and histological plasticity. These findings indicate that rehabilitation strategies should be individualized, involving context-specific exercise strategies to restore muscle structure, function, and regenerative potential in chronic musculoskeletal conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biomedicines14040794","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T15:14:43Z","timestamp":1775142883000},"page":"794","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Skeletal Fiber Type in Muscle Pain and Dysfunction"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Maria Lopes","family":"Cardia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3434-2247","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bruno Daniel","family":"Carneiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Rheumatology Service, Unidade Local de Sa\u00fade do Alto Minho, Hospital Conde de Bertiandos, 4990-078 Ponte de Lima, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5696-1239","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isaura","family":"Tavares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Institute for Research and Innovation in Health and IBMC, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2119-4479","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel Humberto","family":"Pozza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Institute for Research and Innovation in Health and IBMC, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"684","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2018.00684","article-title":"Phenotype-Specific Response of Circulating miRNAs Provides New Biomarkers of Slow or Fast Muscle Damage","volume":"9","author":"Siracusa","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front. 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