The coccygeal plexus is a
nerve plexus
A nerve plexus is a plexus (branching network) of intersecting nerves. A nerve plexus is composed of afferent and efferent fibers that arise from the merging of the anterior rami of spinal nerves and blood vessels. There are five spinal nerve ple ...
near the
coccyx
The coccyx ( : coccyges or coccyxes), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in all apes, and analogous structures in certain other mammals such as horses. In tailless primates (e.g. humans and othe ...
bone.
Structure
This plexus is formed by the
ventral rami
The ventral ramus (pl. ''rami'') (Latin for ''branch'') is the anterior division of a spinal nerve. The ventral rami supply the antero-lateral parts of the trunk and the limbs. They are mainly larger than the dorsal rami.
Shortly after a spinal n ...
of the fourth and fifth
sacral nerves
A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These are grouped into the ...
, S4 & S5, and the ventral ramus of the
coccygeal nerve
A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These are grouped into the ...
, Co. The relative contributions of S4 and S5 are minor and major, respectively. It gives rise to the
anococcygeal nerve
The anococcygeal nerve is a nerve in the pelvis which provides sensory innervation to the skin over the coccyx. The number of anococcygeal nerves vary between one and three.
Structure
The anococcygeal nerve arises from the coccygeal plexus. It ...
.
See also
*
Coccydynia (coccyx pain, tailbone pain)
*
Ganglion impar
The pelvic portion of each sympathetic trunk is situated in front of the sacrum, medial to the anterior sacral foramina. It consists of four or five small sacral ganglia, connected together by interganglionic cords, and continuous above with the a ...
*
Sacral plexus
In human anatomy, the sacral plexus is a nerve plexus which provides motor and sensory nerves for the posterior thigh, most of the lower leg and foot, and part of the pelvis. It is part of the lumbosacral plexus and emerges from the lumbar vertebr ...
References
External links
Description at uams.edu
(Peer-reviewed medical chapter, available free online at eMedicine)
Nerve plexus
Spinal nerves
Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso
{{neuroanatomy-stub