Femoral nerve
Latin: Nervus femoralis sinistra
Paired structure: one on the left and one on the right side of the body.
View the femoral nerve in 3DRoots
L2–L4 posterior divisions of the lumbar plexus.
Course
Descends between psoas and iliacus in the iliac fossa, enters the thigh lateral to the femoral artery beneath the inguinal ligament, and breaks up in the femoral triangle into its terminal branches; the saphenous nerve continues with the femoral artery into the adductor canal.
Motor supply
Iliacus, pectineus and the quadriceps — knee extension's power plant; sartorius.
Sensory supply
Anterior thigh via intermediate and medial cutaneous branches; medial leg and ankle via the saphenous nerve.
Clinical relevance
The femoral stretch test elicits its root pain in L3–L4 disc disease; the femoral nerve block — a landmark of anaesthesia — covers femoral shaft fractures, and diabetic amyotrophy weakens its territory painfully in older diabetics.
Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.