Nerve
Obturator nerve
Medial thigh nerve
High-yield
L2–L4 anterior divisions; supplies the thigh adductors. Injury → weak adduction and unsteady, wide gait.
Overview
A branch of the lumbar plexus that passes through the obturator canal to supply the adductor (medial) thigh compartment.
Reference facts
- Roots
L2, L3, L4 (anterior divisions of the lumbar plexus)
- Course
Descends through psoas major, crosses the pelvic brim, and enters the medial thigh through the obturator canal, dividing into anterior and posterior branches
- Motor
Adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus (adductor part), gracilis, obturator externus, and pectineus (variable)
- Sensory
Skin of the medial thigh