The Sensory Nerves
The reporting crew â and the reflex shortcut
Motor nerves send commands OUT. Sensory nerves send reports IN â touch, heat, cold, stretch and pain. And for emergencies, your body has a shortcut that skips the brain entirely!
Sensory nerve endings in skin
Real anatomy picture coming soon
Real anatomy photo spot: sensory receptors in the skin reporting to a nerve fibre
The reporting crew
Your skin, muscles, and joints are packed with sensors. Touch sensors feel pressure; temperature sensors feel hot and cold; stretch sensors wrap around muscles; pain sensors sound the alarm. Each one is wired to a sensory nerve that zips its report up to your brain, building your picture of the world.
The reflex shortcut
Touch something hot and you pull back BEFORE you feel the burn. Why? The report travels to your spinal cord, which fires a 'PULL BACK!' command straight away â no waiting for the brain! This shortcut is called a reflex. Your body protects itself before you even know there's danger.
Mr. Bones says: I'm a fictional skeleton, not a doctor! This is for learning and fun. If anything hurts, stop and tell a grown-up you trust.
