Chapter 15 Femoral Nerve
Anatomy
• The femoral nerve arises from the posterior divisions of L2, L3, and L4. The nerve traverses the posterior abdominal wall, passes behind the inguinal ligament, and breaks into motor and sensory branches in the proximal anterior thigh (Figure 15-1).
• The nerve runs behind the fascia that covers the psoas and iliacus muscles. It is found in the gutter between the two muscles.
• The psoas is supplied segmentally, but the iliacus is supplied directly from the femoral nerve. The conjoined tendon of these two muscles is attached to the femur, and they are both strong flexors of the hip joint.
• The substantial, tapelike nerve runs a very short distance in the thigh before it breaks up into sensory and motor branches (Figure 15-2).
• The lateral circumflex artery weaves through the terminal branches of the femoral nerve. The motor branches supplying the various quadriceps muscles lie deep to that artery, as does the saphenous nerve (Figure 15-3).
• The main nerve is an immediate lateral relation of the femoral artery at the groin; however, the nerve is not contained in the femoral sheath (Figure 15-4).
Figure 15-2 A, The femoral nerve in the femoral triangle. B, The femoral nerve’s extensive sensory distribution.
