The superior gluteal nerve is a

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 ...

that originates in the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

. It supplies the

gluteus medius muscle The gluteus medius, one of the three gluteal muscles, is a broad, thick, radiating muscle. It is situated on the outer surface of the pelvis. Its posterior third is covered by the gluteus maximus, its anterior two-thirds by the gluteal aponeuros ...

, the

gluteus minimus muscle The gluteus minimus, or glutæus minimus, the smallest of the three gluteal muscles, is situated immediately beneath the gluteus medius. Structure It is fan-shaped, arising from the outer surface of the ilium, between the anterior and infe ...

, the

tensor fasciae latae muscle The tensor fasciae latae (or tensor fasciæ latæ or, formerly, tensor vaginae femoris) is a muscle of the thigh. Together with the gluteus maximus, it acts on the iliotibial band and is continuous with the iliotibial tract, which attaches to the ...

, and the

piriformis muscle The piriformis muscle () is a flat, pyramidally-shaped muscle in the gluteal region of the lower limbs. It is one of the six muscles in the lateral rotator group. The piriformis muscle has its origin upon the front surface of the sacrum, and inse ...

Structure

The superior gluteal nerve originates in the

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 ...

. It arises from the posterior divisions of L4, L5 and S1. It leaves the pelvis through the

greater sciatic foramen The greater sciatic foramen is an opening (foramen) in the posterior human pelvis. It is formed by the sacrotuberous and sacrospinous ligaments. The piriformis muscle passes through the foramen and occupies most of its volume. The greater sciati ...

above the

. It is accompanied by the

superior gluteal artery The superior gluteal artery is the largest and final branch of the internal iliac artery. It is the continuation of the posterior division of that vessel. It is a short artery which runs backward between the lumbosacral trunk and the first sacral ...

and the

superior gluteal vein The superior gluteal veins (gluteal veins) are venæ comitantes of the superior gluteal artery; they receive tributaries from the buttock corresponding with the branches of the artery, and enter the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen, abo ...

.''Thieme Atlas of Anatomy'' (2006), p 476 It then accompanies the upper branch of the deep division of the

. It ends in the

and

Function

The superior nerve supplies: *

.Platzer (2004), p 420 *

. *

. The superior gluteal nerve also has a cutaneous branch.

Clinical significance

Gait

In normal gait, the small gluteal muscles on the stance side can stabilize the pelvis in the

coronal plane The coronal plane (also known as the frontal plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into dorsal and ventral sections. It is perpendicular to the sagittal and transverse planes. Details The coronal plane is an example of a longitud ...

. Weakness or paralysis of these muscles caused by a damaged superior gluteal nerve can result in a weak abduction in the affected hip joint. This

gait disturbance Gait deviations are nominally referred to as any variation of standard human gait, typically manifesting as a coping mechanism in response to an anatomical impairment. Lower-limb amputees are unable to maintain the characteristic walking pattern ...

is known as

Trendelenburg gait Trendelenburg gait, named after Friedrich Trendelenburg, is an abnormal gait. It is caused by weakness or ineffective action of the gluteus medius muscle and the gluteus minimus muscle. Gandbhir and Rayi point out that the biomechanical action ...

. In a positive

Trendelenburg's sign Trendelenburg's sign is found in people with weak or paralyzed abductor muscles of the hip, namely gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. It is named after the German surgeon Friedrich Trendelenburg. It is often incorrectly referenced as the Tr ...

the pelvis sags toward the normal unsupported side (the swing leg). The opposite, when the pelvis is elevated on the swing side, is known as Duchenne limp. Bilateral loss of the small gluteal muscles results in a

waddling gait Myopathic gait (or waddling gait) is a form of gait abnormality. The "waddling" is due to the weakness of the proximal muscles of the pelvic girdle. The patient uses circumduction to compensate for gluteal weakness. Conditions associated with a ...

Iatrogenic damage

The superior gluteal nerve may be damaged by intramuscular injections and

nephrectomy A nephrectomy is the surgical removal of a kidney, performed to treat a number of kidney diseases including kidney cancer. It is also done to remove a normal healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor, which is part of a kidney transplant pro ...

Structure

Function

Clinical significance

Gait

Iatrogenic damage

See also

References

Bibliography

External links