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You have scored 17%
You answered 19 correct out of 110 questions.
Your answers are shown below:
A 21 year old man sustains an injury to his left leg during a judo match. He is complaining of
loss of sensation over the sole of his foot and weakness of exion of his toes. Which of the
following nerves has most likely been damaged:
a) Common bular nerve
b) Deep bular nerve
c) Super cial bular nerve
d) Sural nerve
e) Tibial nerve
Something wrong?
Answer
The medial and lateral plantar nerves, branches of the tibial nerve, innervate the intrinsic foot muscles in the sole of
the foot, and supply skin over the sole of the foot.
Notes
The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve receiving nerve bres from L4 – S3.
Nerve Tibial nerve
Nerve L4 – S3
roots
, Motor All muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg and the intrinsic muscles in the sole of the foot
supply
Sensory Skin on the posterolateral side of the lower leg, the lateral side of the ankle, foot and little toe, the
supply medial side of the heel and the sole of the heel, foot and toes
Injury Weakness of exion of knee, loss of plantar exion of ankle and exion of toes, weakness of foot
inversion and loss of sensation in distribution above
It arises at the apex of the popliteal fossa before descending in the leg to enter the popliteal fossa posterior to the
knee. The tibial nerve then passes under the tendinous arch formed by the two heads of the soleus muscle and then
descends through the deep region of the posterior compartment of the leg. The tibial nerve passes through the tarsal
tunnel, posterior to the medial malleolus to enter to foot.
, By Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons
Through its muscular branches, the tibial nerve innervates all of the muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg.
The tibial nerve gives rise to the sural nerve in the proximal leg which supplies skin on the lower posterolateral surface
of the leg, and the lateral side of the ankle, foot and little toe, and the medial calcaneal nerve in the distal leg which
supplies skin on the medial surface and sole of the heel. In the foot the tibial nerve divides into the medial and lateral
plantar nerves which innervate all of the intrinsic muscles of the sole of the foot and supply skin over the medial and
lateral sole of foot and toes respectively.
Branch Innervation
Muscular branches Posterior compartment of leg
Sural nerve Skin on lower posterolateral leg, lateral side of ankle, foot and little toe
Medial calcaneal nerve Skin on medial surface and sole of heel
Plantar nerves Intrinsic muscles in sole of foot, skin over sole of foot and toes
Muscle Action(s)
Gastrocnemius Plantar exion of foot and exion of leg
Plantaris Plantar exion of foot and exion of leg
Soleus Plantar exion of foot
, Flexor digitorum longus Flexion of lateral four toes
Flexor hallucis longus Flexion of great toe and plantar exion of foot
Tibialis posterior Plantar exion and inversion of foot, support of medial arch
Modi ed by FRCEM Success. Original by Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
You have scored 17%
You answered 19 correct out of 110 questions.
Your answers are shown below:
A 21 year old man sustains an injury to his left leg during a judo match. He is complaining of
loss of sensation over the sole of his foot and weakness of exion of his toes. Which of the
following nerves has most likely been damaged:
a) Common bular nerve
b) Deep bular nerve
c) Super cial bular nerve
d) Sural nerve
e) Tibial nerve
Something wrong?
Answer
The medial and lateral plantar nerves, branches of the tibial nerve, innervate the intrinsic foot muscles in the sole of
the foot, and supply skin over the sole of the foot.
Notes
The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve receiving nerve bres from L4 – S3.
Nerve Tibial nerve
Nerve L4 – S3
roots
, Motor All muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg and the intrinsic muscles in the sole of the foot
supply
Sensory Skin on the posterolateral side of the lower leg, the lateral side of the ankle, foot and little toe, the
supply medial side of the heel and the sole of the heel, foot and toes
Injury Weakness of exion of knee, loss of plantar exion of ankle and exion of toes, weakness of foot
inversion and loss of sensation in distribution above
It arises at the apex of the popliteal fossa before descending in the leg to enter the popliteal fossa posterior to the
knee. The tibial nerve then passes under the tendinous arch formed by the two heads of the soleus muscle and then
descends through the deep region of the posterior compartment of the leg. The tibial nerve passes through the tarsal
tunnel, posterior to the medial malleolus to enter to foot.
, By Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons
Through its muscular branches, the tibial nerve innervates all of the muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg.
The tibial nerve gives rise to the sural nerve in the proximal leg which supplies skin on the lower posterolateral surface
of the leg, and the lateral side of the ankle, foot and little toe, and the medial calcaneal nerve in the distal leg which
supplies skin on the medial surface and sole of the heel. In the foot the tibial nerve divides into the medial and lateral
plantar nerves which innervate all of the intrinsic muscles of the sole of the foot and supply skin over the medial and
lateral sole of foot and toes respectively.
Branch Innervation
Muscular branches Posterior compartment of leg
Sural nerve Skin on lower posterolateral leg, lateral side of ankle, foot and little toe
Medial calcaneal nerve Skin on medial surface and sole of heel
Plantar nerves Intrinsic muscles in sole of foot, skin over sole of foot and toes
Muscle Action(s)
Gastrocnemius Plantar exion of foot and exion of leg
Plantaris Plantar exion of foot and exion of leg
Soleus Plantar exion of foot
, Flexor digitorum longus Flexion of lateral four toes
Flexor hallucis longus Flexion of great toe and plantar exion of foot
Tibialis posterior Plantar exion and inversion of foot, support of medial arch
Modi ed by FRCEM Success. Original by Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
