Myokines: How your workouts heal damaged nerves & more

Written By John Murie

Mariah May, CSCS

If you're hitting the gym regularly, you're doing more than just building muscle, you’re triggering powerful internal medicine. Every rep, sprint, and lift stimulates your muscles to release molecules called myokines. You may not feel them working, but myokines are influencing your brain, metabolism, immune system, and even your nerves.

What Are Myokines?

Myokines are cytokines and other peptides that are produced, expressed, and released by muscle fibers when they contract. They act like messenger molecules and can affect the body in autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine ways.

What does this mean in simpler terms? When you move your muscles, you’re sending messages between your muscle tissue and every major system in your body.

This is what makes myokines so powerful—they mediate communication between your muscles and other organs, creating full-body effects from the work you do in the gym.

Myokines & Nerve Healing

One of the most exciting discoveries in recent years is how myokines help repair and regenerate damaged nerves.

Stimulate Nerve Regeneration: Myokines such as BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) and IGF-1 promote the repair and regrowth of damaged neurons. This includes stimulating axon regeneration, improving recovery from injuries and preserving nervous system function as we age.

Manage Inflammation: Chronic inflammation can prevent proper healing, but one myokine, IL-6, plays a central role in the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise. It’s released with every workout and increases in efficiency with consistent training.

Boost Circulation & Nutrient Flow: Myokines enhance vascular health, improving blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues, including injured nerves. 

More Than Just Nerves—Total Body Effects

Research now shows that myokines don’t just help nerves. They're involved in dozens of critical processes throughout the body. Regular strength and endurance training leads to elevated levels of myokines that:

  • Improve cognition and brain function

  • Help regulate lipid and glucose metabolism 

  • Support bone formation and muscle hypertrophy

  • Improve blood vessel health

  • Influence skin structure and tumor growth suppression

That’s a long list of benefits from something you’re already doing… training hard!

The Future: Myokines as Medicine

Here’s where it gets even more exciting: scientists are now using myokines as biomarkers to track the effectiveness of different types of training. This could be key in prescribing exercise like medication for people with:

  • Cancer

  • Diabetes

  • Neurodegenerative diseases

  • Obesity and cardiovascular disease

Why This Matters for You

As a gym-goer, you’re already reaping the benefits:

  • You’re producing myokines every time you train.

  • You’re helping your body heal, adapt, and protect itself from disease.

  • You’re supporting your nervous system, brain, and long-term health in ways you can’t see in the mirror.

Muscle isn’t just for strength. It’s an organ of communication, healing, and protection. Train it, and you train your whole body.

Sources: 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7288608/
John Murie
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