- See:
Innervation of the Leg and Foot :
- Discussion:
- arises from femoral nerve in femoral triangle and descends through it on lateral side of the femoral vessels to enter the adductor canal.
- it crosses the vessels obliquely to lie on their medial side in front of lower end of
adductor magnus muscle;
- nerve continues its descent on medial side of knee, pierces fascia lata between tendons of
sartorius &
gracilis, & then passes downward on medial
side of leg close to greater saphenous vein;
- at lower end of canal, it leaves femoral vessels & gives off its infrapatellar branch, & runs onward to supply skin over medial side and front of knee and
patellar ligament - saphenous nerve lies posterior to
sartorius in 60%;
- sartorial branch: lies posterior to the sartorius;
- infrapatellar branch
- nerve exits the adductor canal and travels to the anteromedial aspect of the knee;
- position relative to the fascia: at the level of the knee the nerve will be extrafascial in 43%
- in the lower leg, it subdivides:
- one branch follows the medial tibial border to the level of the ankle.
- larger passes anterior to medial malleolus to innervate skin on medial and dorsal side foot;
- Changes in Nerve Position w/ Knee Flexion:
- in extension, saphenous nerve & all infrapatellar branches cross medial joint line anterior to posteromedial corner & are located 2-3 cm anterior to
semitendinosus tendon;
- in flexed knee, saphenous nerve and its branches cross medial joint line at, or slightly behind, posteromedial corner of knee;
- Saphenous nerve block:
- provides anesthesia over the medial portion of foot;
- subcutaneous "field block" with continuous wheal from lateral margin of achilles tendon around the anterior ankle to the medial margin of the
achilles tendon will anesthetize all superficial nerves of the foot: superficial peroneal, saphenous, and sural;
- references:
-
NYSORA.
-
Anesthesia UK.
Study of the infrapatellar nerve. Arthornthurasook A, Gnew-IM K: Am J Sports Med 1988;16:57-59.
The sartorial branch of the saphenous nerve: its anatomy at the joint line of the knee.
Arthroscopic meniscal repair with use of the outside-in technique
