The superficial fibular nerve (also known as superficial peroneal nerve) innervates the

fibularis longus In human anatomy, the fibularis longus (also known as peroneus longus) is a superficial muscle in the lateral compartment of the leg. It acts to tilt the sole of the foot away from the midline of the body ( eversion) and to extend the foot downwa ...

and

fibularis brevis In human anatomy, the fibularis brevis (or peroneus brevis) is a muscle that lies underneath the fibularis longus within the lateral compartment of the leg. It acts to tilt the sole of the foot away from the midline of the body (eversion) and to ...

muscles and the skin over the antero-lateral aspect of the leg along with the greater part of the dorsum of the foot (with the exception of the first web space, which is innervated by the

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 ante ...

Structure

Lateral side of the leg

The superficial fibular nerve is the main nerve of the lateral compartment of the leg. It begins at the lateral side of the neck of fibula, and runs through the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis muscles. In the middle third of the leg, it descends between the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis, and then reaches the anterior border of the fibularis brevis to enter the groove between the fibularis brevis and the

extensor digitorum longus The extensor digitorum longus is a pennate muscle, situated at the lateral part of the front of the leg. Origin and insertion It arises from the lateral condyle of the tibia; from the upper three-quarters of the anterior surface of the body of ...

under the

deep fascia of leg The deep fascia of leg, or crural fascia forms a complete investment to the muscles, and is fused with the periosteum over the subcutaneous surfaces of the bones. The deep fascia of the leg is continuous above with the fascia lata (deep fascia of ...

. It becomes superficial at the junction of upper two-thirds and lower one-thirds of the leg by piercing the deep fascia. The superficial fibular nerve gives off several branches in the leg. * Muscular branches to fibularis longus and fibularis brevis * Cutaneous branches supply the skin over the lower one-third of the lateral side of the leg and greater part of the dorsum of the foot except for areas that are supplied by the

saphenous nerve The saphenous nerve (long or internal saphenous nerve) is the largest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve. It is a strictly sensory nerve, and has no motor function. Structure It is purely a sensory nerve. The saphenous nerve is the largest ...

(medial side of the leg), the

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, o ...

(lateral side of the foot), the

(first webbed space of the dorsum of the foot), the medial, and the

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 ...

s (plantar surface of the foot).

Foot

At the junction between the upper two-thirds and lower one-thirds of the leg, the superficial fibular nerve is divided into

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 secon ...

(medial branch) and

intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve The intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve (external dorsal cutaneous branch), the smaller, passes along the lateral part of the dorsum of the foot, and divides into dorsal digital branches, which supply the contiguous sides of the third and fourth, ...

(lateral branch). * The medial branch crosses the ankle and divides into two dorsal digital nerves—one for the medial side of the big toe, and the other for the adjoining sides of the second and third toes. * The lateral branch divides into two dorsal digital nerves for the adjoining sides of the third and fourth toes and the fourth and fifth toes. * Communicating branches: The medial branch communicates with saphenous nerve and the deep fibular nerve, while the lateral branch communicates with the

Clinical significance

Injury to the nerve can result in an inability to

evert Evert is a Dutch and Swedish short form of the Germanic masculine name "Everhard" (alternative Eberhard).Evert
at the

the foot and loss of sensation over the dorsum of the foot (with the exception of the first web space between the

great toe Toes are the digits (fingers) of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plant ...

and the second toe, where the deep fibular nerve innervates).

Additional images

File:Gray826and831.svg, Cutaneous nerves of the right lower extremity. Front and posterior views. File:Gray836.png, Nerves of the dorsum of the foot.

References

External links

* - "The Leg - Nerves" Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso {{Neuroanatomy-stub