IB4-saporin attenuates acute and eliminates chronic muscle pain in the rat

► Inflammatory and ergonomic injuries induce acute and chronic muscle pain in naïve rats. ► Destruction of IB4(+) nociceptors attenuated acute skeletal muscle hyperalgesia. ► It also disrupted the transition from acute to chronic pain in skeletal muscle. ► Thus, IB4(+) muscle nociceptors may play a role in the onset of chronic musculoskeletal pain.