Cutaneous innervation refers to the area of the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

which is supplied by a specific

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

. Modern texts are in agreement about which areas of the skin are served by which nerves, but there are minor variations in some of the details. The borders designated by the diagrams in the 1918 edition of ''

Gray's Anatomy ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter, and first published in London in 1858. It has gone through multiple revised editions and the current edition, the 42nd (Octob ...

'', provided below, are similar but not identical to those generally accepted today.

Pelvis and buttocks

Lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh The lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh (also called the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve) is a cutaneous nerve of the thigh. It originates from the dorsal divisions of the second and third lumbar nerves from the lumbar plexus. It passes under t ...

- labeled as "lateral femoral cutaneous" (pink) *

Lumboinguinal nerve The lumboinguinal nerve, also known as the femoral or crural branch of genitofemoral, is a nerve in the abdomen. The lumboinguinal nerve is a branch of the genitofemoral nerve. The "femoral" part supplies skin to the femoral triangle area. Struc ...

(green) and

Ilioinguinal nerve The ilioinguinal nerve is a branch of the first lumbar nerve (L1). It separates from the first lumbar nerve along with the larger iliohypogastric nerve. It emerges from the lateral border of the psoas major just inferior to the iliohypogastric, an ...

(purple). In modern texts, these two regions are often considered to be innervated by the

genitofemoral nerve The genitofemoral nerve refers to a nerve that is found in the abdomen. Its branches, the genital branch and femoral branch supply sensation to the upper anterior thigh, as well as the skin of the anterior scrotum in males and mons pubis in femal ...

. *

Medial cluneal nerves The medial clunial nerves innervate the skin of the buttocks closest to the midline of the body. Those nerves arise from the posterior rami of sacral spinal nerves A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic sign ...

(pink) - labeled as "post. division of sacral" *

Inferior cluneal nerves The inferior clunial nerves (also called gluteal branches of posterior femoral cutaneous nerve) innervate the skin of the lower part of the buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most m ...

(pink region, not designated with its own section) *

Perforating cutaneous nerve The perforating cutaneous nerve is a cutaneous nerve that supplies skin over the gluteus maximus muscle. Structure The perforating cutaneous nerve arises from the ventral rami of sacral spinal nerve 2 and sacral spinel nerve 3 of the sacral plexu ...

(pink region, not designated with its own section) *

Superior cluneal nerves The superior cluneal nerves are pure sensory nerves that innervate the skin of the upper part of the buttocks. They are the terminal ends of the L1-L3 spinal nerve dorsal rami lateral branches.Waldman SD. Atlas of Uncommon Pain Syndromes. 3rd ed. ...

(yellow) - labeled as "post. division of lumbar" *

Iliohypogastric nerve The iliohypogastric nerve is a nerve that originates from the lumbar plexus that supplies sensation to skin over the lateral gluteal and hypogastric regions and motor to the internal oblique muscles and transverse abdominal muscles. Structure ...

(blue) *

Subcostal nerve The subcostal nerve (anterior division of the twelfth thoracic nerve) is larger than the others. It runs along the lower border of the twelfth rib, often gives a communicating branch to the first lumbar nerve, and passes under the lateral lumbocost ...

(purple) - labeled as "last thoracic"

Thigh

Anterior cutaneous branches of the femoral nerve The anterior cutaneous branches of the femoral nerve consist of the following nerves: ''intermediate cutaneous nerve'' and ''medial cutaneous nerve''. Intermediate cutaneous nerve of thigh The intermediate cutaneous nerve (middle cutaneous nerve) ...

(yellow) *

Cutaneous branch of the obturator nerve Occasionally the communicating branch to the anterior cutaneous and saphenous branches of the femoral is continued down, as a cutaneous branch, to the thigh and leg, as the cutaneous branch of the obturator nerve. When this is so, it emerges fro ...

(yellow region, not designated with its own section) *

Posterior cutaneous nerve of thigh The posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh (also called the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve) is a sensory nerve in the thigh. It supplies the skin of the posterior surface of the thigh, leg, buttock, and also the perineum. Structure The pos ...

(green)

Leg

Common fibular nerve The common fibular nerve (also known as the common peroneal nerve, external popliteal nerve, or lateral popliteal nerve) is a nerve in the lower leg that provides sensation over the posterolateral part of the leg and the knee joint. It divides at ...

(blue) - labeled as "peroneal nerve". Also

Lateral sural cutaneous nerve The lateral sural cutaneous nerve of the lumbosacral plexus supplies the skin on the posterior and lateral surfaces of the leg. The lateral sural cutaneous nerve originates from the common fibular nerve''(L4-S2)'' and is the terminal branch of t ...

. *

Saphenous nerve The saphenous nerve (long or internal saphenous nerve) is the largest cutaneous branch Cutaneous innervation refers to the area of the skin which is supplied by a specific cutaneous nerve. Dermatome (Anatomy), Dermatomes are similar; however, a ...

(pink), a branch of the

femoral nerve The femoral nerve is a nerve in the thigh that supplies skin on the upper thigh and inner leg, and the muscles that extend the knee. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the anterior compartment of the thigh. It is the largest ...

. *

Superficial fibular nerve The superficial fibular nerve (also known as superficial peroneal nerve) innervates the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis muscles and the skin over the antero-lateral aspect of the leg along with the greater part of the dorsum of the foot (wit ...

(yellow) - labeled as "superficial peroneal nerve". Also

Medial dorsal cutaneous nerve The medial dorsal cutaneous nerve (internal dorsal cutaneous branch) passes in front of the ankle-joint, and divides into two dorsal digital branches, one of which supplies the medial side of the great toe, the other, the adjacent side of the seco ...

. *

Sural nerve The sural nerve ''(L4-S1)'' is generally considered a pure cutaneous nerve of the posterolateral leg to the lateral ankle. The sural nerve originates from a combination of either the sural communicating branch and medial sural cutaneous nerve, or ...

(brown). Also

Medial sural cutaneous nerve The medial sural cutaneous nerve ''(L4-S3)'' is a sensory nerve of the leg. It supplies cutaneous innervation the posteromedial leg. Structure The medial sural cutaneous nerve originates from the posterior aspect of the tibial nerve of the sc ...

Foot

(See foot diagram) *

Deep fibular nerve The deep fibular nerve (also known as deep peroneal nerve) begins at the bifurcation of the common fibular nerve between the fibula and upper part of the fibularis longus, passes infero-medially, deep to the extensor digitorum longus, to the anteri ...

(green) *

Tibial nerve The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus. Structure Popliteal fossa The tibial nerve is the larger terminal branch of the sciatic nerve with root val ...

(blue). Also

Medial calcaneal branches of the tibial nerve The medial calcaneal branches of the tibial nerve (internal calcaneal branches) perforate the laciniate ligament, and supply the skin of the heel and medial side of the sole of the foot. Structure The medial calcaneal nerve originates either fr ...

. *

Medial plantar nerve The medial plantar nerve (internal plantar nerve) is the larger of the two terminal divisions of the tibial nerve (medial and lateral plantar nerve), which accompanies the medial plantar artery. From its origin under the laciniate ligament it pas ...

(yellow) *

Lateral plantar nerve The lateral plantar nerve (external plantar nerve) is a branch of the tibial nerve, in turn a branch of the sciatic nerve and supplies the skin of the fifth toe and lateral half of the fourth, as well as most of the deep muscles, its distribution ...

(green)

External links

Overview at luc.edu

Foot, at frca.co.uk
{{Lumbosacral plexus Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso