Behavioral evidence in rats indicates that injection of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) into skeletal muscle results in a prolonged mechanical sensitization without gross inflammation. To investigate whether a peripheral mechanism could underlie this effect, in the present study, TNF (1 or 0.1g) was injected into the rat masseter muscle to assess its effect on the excitability and mechanical threshold (MT) of muscle nociceptors as well as on inflammation. Expression of TNFR1 (P55 receptors) and TNFR2 (P75 receptors) by the masseter muscle and trigeminal ganglion neurons that innervate that muscle was determined by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The Evans blue dye technique was used at the end of the TNF experiments to assess for plasma protein extravasation. In subsequent experiments to confirm the involvement of receptor activation in TNF-induced effects, P55 receptor or P75 antibody was co-injected with TNF. Intramuscular injection of 1g TNF did not excite nociceptors, but did significantly decrease MT compared to vehicle control. There was no evidence of gross inflammation 3 hours after injection of TNF. Co-injection of TNF with P55 or P75 receptor antibodies attenuated TNF-induced mechanical sensitization. P55 and P75 receptors were expressed by 29% and 62% of masseter nociceptors, respectively. These findings indicate that TNF induces mechanical sensitization of masseter nociceptors that is mediated through activation of peripheral P55 and P75 receptors. These results support the hypothesis that a peripheral receptor mechanism could contribute to TNF-induced non-inflammatory mechanical sensitization of skeletal muscle previously reported in behaving rats.