Cutaneous innervation of the lower limbs
Encyclopedia
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
which is supplied by a specific nerve
Nerve
A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
.
Modern texts are in agreement about which areas of the skin are served by which nerves, but there are minor variations in some of the details. The borders designated by the diagrams in the 1918 edition of Gray's Anatomy
Gray's Anatomy
Gray's Anatomy is an English-language human anatomy textbook originally written by Henry Gray. The book is widely regarded as an extremely influential work on the subject, and has continued to be revised and republished from its initial publication in 1858 to the present day...
, provided below, are similar but not identical to those generally accepted today.
Pelvis and buttocks
- Lateral cutaneous nerve of thighLateral cutaneous nerve of thighThe lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh is a cutaneous nerve that innervates the skin on the lateral part of the thigh.-Structure:...
- labeled as "lateral femoral cutaneous" (pink) - Lumboinguinal nerveLumboinguinal nerveThe lumboinguinal nerve descends on the external iliac artery, sending a few filaments around it, and, passing beneath the inguinal ligament, enters the sheath of the femoral vessels, lying superficial and lateral to the femoral artery.It pierces the anterior layer of the sheath of the vessels and...
(green) and Ilioinguinal nerveIlioinguinal nerveThe ilioinguinal nerve is a branch of the first lumbar nerve . It separates from the first lumbar nerve along with the larger iliohypogastric nerve....
(purple). In modern texts, these two regions are often considered to be innervated by the genitofemoral nerveGenitofemoral nerveIn human anatomy, the genitofemoral nerve originates from the upper part of the lumbar plexus of spinal nerves. Its roots are L1 and L2 .The genitofemoral nerve is responsible for both the efferent and afferent limbs of the cremasteric reflex...
. - Medial cluneal nervesMedial cluneal nervesThe medial clunial nerves innervate the skin of the buttocks closest to the midline of the body. Those nerves arise from the posterior rami of sacral spinal nerves ....
(pink) - labeled as "post. division of sacral" - Inferior cluneal nervesInferior cluneal nervesThe inferior clunial nerves innervate the skin of the lower part of the buttocks. They arise as branches of the posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh....
(pink region, not designated with its own section) - Perforating cutaneous nervePerforating cutaneous nerveThe perforating cutaneous nerve is a cutaneous nerve that supplies skin over the gluteus maximus muscle.-Structure:The perforating cutaneous nerve arises from the sacral plexus. It pierces the lower part of the sacrotuberous ligament, and winds around the inferior border of the gluteus maximus...
(pink region, not designated with its own section) - Superior cluneal nervesSuperior cluneal nervesThe superior clunial nerves innervate the skin of the upper part of the buttocks. They are the terminal ends of the posterior rami of lumbar spinal nerves .-Clinicals:Superior Clunial Nerve Entrapment...
(yellow) - labeled as "post. division of lumbar" - Iliohypogastric nerveIliohypogastric nerveThe iliohypogastric nerve is the superior branch of the anterior ramus of spinal nerve L1 after this nerve receives fibers from T12 . The inferior branch is the ilioinguinal nerve....
(blue) - Subcostal nerveSubcostal nerveThe anterior division of the twelfth thoracic nerve is larger than the others; it runs along the lower border of the twelfth rib, often gives a communicating branch to the first lumbar nerve, and passes under the lateral lumbocostal arch.It then runs in front of the Quadratus lumborum, perforates...
(purple) - labeled as "last thoracic"
Thigh
- Anterior cutaneous branches of the femoral nerveAnterior cutaneous branches of the femoral nerveThe anterior cutaneous branches of the femoral nerve consist of the following nerves: intermediate cutaneous nerve and medial cutaneous nerve.-Intermediate cutaneous nerve of thigh:...
(yellow) - Cutaneous branch of the obturator nerveCutaneous branch of the obturator nerveOccasionally the communicating branch to the anterior cutaneous and saphenous branches of the femoral is continued down, as a cutaneous branch, to the thigh and leg, as the cutaneous branch of the obturator nerve....
(yellow region, not designated with its own section) - Posterior cutaneous nerve of thighPosterior cutaneous nerve of thighThe posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh provides innervation to the skin of the posterior surface of the thigh and leg, as well as to the skin of the perineum.-Structure:...
(green)
Leg (cnemius)
- Common fibular nerveCommon fibular nerveThe common fibular nerve , about one-half the size of the tibial nerve, is derived from the dorsal branches of the fourth and fifth lumbar and the first and second sacral nerves.It descends obliquely along the lateral side of the popliteal fossa to the head of the fibula,...
(blue) - labeled as "peroneal nerve". Also Lateral sural cutaneous nerveLateral sural cutaneous nerveThe lateral sural cutaneous nerve supplies the skin on the posterior and lateral surfaces of the leg. The lateral sural cutaneous nerve originates from the Common fibular nerve.One branch, the peroneal anastomotic The lateral sural cutaneous nerve (lateral cutaneous branch) supplies the skin on...
. - Saphenous nerveSaphenous nerveThe saphenous nerve is the largest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve.-Path:It approaches the femoral artery where this vessel passes beneath the sartorius, and lies in front of the artery, behind the aponeurotic covering of the adductor canal, as far as the opening in the lower part of the...
(pink), a branch of the femoral nerveFemoral nerveThe femoral nerve, the largest branch of the lumbar plexus, arises from the dorsal divisions of the ventral rami of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves...
. - Superficial fibular nerveSuperficial fibular nerveThe superficial fibular nerve innervates the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis muscles and the skin over the greater part of the dorsum of the foot .It passes forward between the fibularis muscles and the extensor digitorum longus, pierces the deep...
(yellow) - labeled as "superficial peroneal nerve". Also Medial dorsal cutaneous nerveMedial dorsal cutaneous nerveThe medial dorsal cutaneous nerve passes in front of the ankle-joint, and divides into two dorsal digital branches, one of which supplies the medial side of the great toe, the other, the adjacent side of the second and third toes.It also supplies the integument of the medial side of the foot and...
. - Sural nerveSural nerveThe sural nerve , formed by the junction of the medial sural cutaneous with the peroneal anastomotic branch of the lateral sural cutaneous nerve, passes downward near the lateral margin of the tendo calcaneus, lying close to the small saphenous vein, to the interval between the lateral malleolus...
(purple). Also Medial sural cutaneous nerveMedial sural cutaneous nerveThe medial sural cutaneous nerve originates from the tibial nerve of the sciatic, descends between the two heads of the Gastrocnemius, and, about the middle of the back of the leg, pierces the deep fascia, and unites with the anastomotic ramus of the common peroneal to form the sural nerve....
.
Foot
- Deep fibular nerveDeep fibular nerveThe deep fibular nerve begins at the bifurcation of the common fibular nerve, between the fibula and upper part of the fibularis longus, passes infero-medially, deep to extensor digitorum longus, to the anterior surface of the interosseous membrane, and comes into relation with the anterior...
(green) - Tibial nerveTibial nerveThe tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus.In the popliteal fossa the nerve gives off branches to gastrocnemius, popliteus, soleus and plantaris muscles, an articular branch to the knee joint, and a...
(blue). Also Medial calcaneal branches of the tibial nerveMedial calcaneal branches of the tibial nerveThe medial calcaneal branches of the tibial nerve perforate the laciniate ligament, and supply the skin of the heel and medial side of the sole of the foot.-See also:* Cutaneous innervation of the lower limbs...
. - Medial plantar nerveMedial plantar nerveThe medial plantar nerve , the larger of the two terminal divisions of the tibial nerve, accompanies the medial plantar artery....
(yellow) - Lateral plantar nerveLateral plantar nerveThe lateral plantar nerve is a branch of the tibial nerve, in turn a branch of the sciatic nerve and supplies the skin of the fifth toe and lateral half of the fourth, as well as most of the deep muscles, its distribution being similar to that of the ulnar nerve in the hand.It passes obliquely...
(green)
