The posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh (also called the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve) is a
sensory nerve
A sensory nerve, or afferent nerve, is a general anatomic term for a nerve which contains predominantly somatic afferent nerve fibers. Afferent nerve fibers in a sensory nerve carry sensory information toward the central nervous system (CNS) f ...
in the
thigh. It supplies 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 ...
of the posterior surface of the
thigh,
leg,
buttock, and also the
perineum.
Structure
The posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh is a nerve from the
sacral plexus.
It arises partly from the dorsal divisions of the
S1 and
S2, and from the ventral divisions of S2 and
S3 sacral spinal nerves.
It leaves the
pelvis through the
greater sciatic foramen below the
piriformis muscle.
It then descends beneath the
gluteus maximus muscle with the
inferior gluteal artery, and runs down the back of the thigh beneath the
fascia lata.
It runs over the long head of the
biceps femoris to the back of the knee. It then pierces the
deep fascia, and accompanies the
small saphenous vein to about the middle of the back of the leg.
Its terminal branches communicate with the
sural nerve.
Branches
Its branches are all cutaneous, and are distributed to the gluteal region, the perineum, and the back of the thigh and leg.
* The
inferior clunial nerves
The inferior clunial nerves (also called gluteal branches of posterior femoral cutaneous nerve) innervate the skin of the lower part of the buttocks. They arise as branches of the posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh
The posterior cutaneous ...
(or gluteal branches), three or four in number, turn upward around the lower border of the
gluteus maximus, and supply the skin covering the lower and lateral part of that muscle.
* The
perineal branches are distributed to the skin at the upper and medial side of the
thigh.
* The main part to the back of the thigh and leg consists of numerous filaments derived from both sides of the nerve, and distributed to the skin covering the back and medial side of the thigh, the
popliteal fossa, and the upper part of the back of the leg.
Function
The posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh supplies the posterior surface of the
thigh, the
leg, and the
gluteal region, as well as the
perineum.
Clinical significance
The posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh may be involved in
pain in the posterior thigh.
Additional images
File:Gray825and830.PNG, Cutaneous nerves of the right lower extremity. Front and posterior views.
File:Gray826and831.PNG, Cutaneous nerves of the right lower extremity. Front and posterior views.
File:Sacral plexus schematic.svg, Schematic of sacral plexus. Posterior cutaneous nerve of thigh is labeled at the bottom.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso