Obturator Nerve
Description
Other Names
- Obturator Nerve
- Nervus obturatorius
General
- The obturator nerve is a major peripheral nerve of the lower limb
- Nerve roots: L2 to L4
- Motor: Medial Compartment of the Thigh
- Sensory: Cutaneous innervation of the medial thigh
Anatomical Course
- Formed from the Lumbar Plexus, anterior divisions of L2, L3, L4
- Descends through the psoas major emerging medially
- Travels posterior to common iliac artery towards the obturator foramen
- Enters the medial thigh through the obturator canal
- Here it divides into the anterior and posterior branch
- Anterior division
- Anterior to adductor brevis
- Descends in a plane between adductor longus, adductor brevis
- Supplies motor fibers to adductor longus, adductor brevis, gracilis
- Can supply pectineus
- Pierces the fascia lata, becomes cutaneous branch of the obturator nerve
- Posterior division
- Posterior to adductor brevis
- Pierces the obturator externus, then descends down between adductor brevis and magnus
- Innervates obturator externus and adductor magnus
Motor Functions
- Innervates all the muscles of the Medial Compartment of the Thigh
- Collectively known as Hip Abductor Group
- Adductor Longus
- Adductor Brevis
- Adductor Magnus
- Gracilis
- Obturator Externus
Sensory Function
- Cutaneous branch of the obturator nerve supplies the skin of the middle part of the medial thigh
Clinical Significance
Procedural
Pathology
See Also
References
- ↑ Craig, Anita. "Nerve compression/entrapment sites of the lower limb." Nerves and nerve injuries. Academic Press, 2015. 755-770.
- ↑ Liyew, Worku Abie. "Clinical presentations of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbosacral nerve lesions." International journal of rheumatology 2020.1 (2020): 2919625.
- ↑ Kati, Bulent, and Murat Izgi. "A nightmare during endoscopic bladder tumor resection; obturator reflex." (2017).