Femoral Nerve

Last updated 25/12/16

Definition

• Large mixed motor and sensory nerve of lower limb

Features

• Largest nerve of lumbar plexus
• Major peripheral nerve of lower limb
• Motor and sensory nerve
• Ventral rami of L2 to L4 +/- L5
• Emerges from lateral border of psoas muscle
• Descends in groove between psoas major and iliacus muscle
• Passes deep to inguinal ligament through inguinal canal
• Enters proximal thigh into femoral triangle lateral to femoral artery and deep to fascia late and fascia iliaca
• Then divides into several branches
• Articular branch to hip
• Superficial (anterior)
• Passes through femoral triangle lateral to femoral sheath
• Accompanies femoral artery in adductor canal
• Runs between sartorius and gracilis muscles
• Motor
• Sartorius muscle
• Pectineus muscle
• Continues inferiorly as Saphenous nerve
• Terminal cutaneous branch of femoral nerve
• No motor supply in lower leg
• Sensory
• Anteriomedial, anteriolateral and anterior knee
• Knee joint
• Patella
• Anteriolateral femur
• Anteriomedial tibial plateau
• Deep (posterior)
• Supplies muscles of thigh
• Motor
• Rectus femoris muscle
• Quadriceps muscle (vastus muscles)
• Sensory innervation by Anterior Femoral Cutaneous nerve
• Anterior and medial thigh

Clinical Relevance

• Femoral nerve block
• Fasciailiaca block
• Stripping of Saphenous veins
• Saphenous nerve accompanies saphenous vein which may be damaged by varicose vein surgery

Motor Supply

• Hip Flexors
• Sartorius
• Pectineus
• Iliacus
• Knee Extensors
• Rectus femoris
• Vastus lateralis
• Vastus intermedius
• Vastus medialis

Sensory Innervation

• Anterior Femoral Cutaneous nerve
• Thigh: anterior, medial
• Saphenous nerve
• Knee: anterioemdial, anteriolateral, anterior, joint
• Patella
• Femur: anteriolateral
• Tibia: anteriomedial tibial plateau
• Leg: medial
• Foot: medial

Senosry innervation of femoral nerve

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References

Stepwards: Femoral Nerve (Pic)
TeachMeAntatomy: The Femoral Nerve