Quick Facts
Origin: Obturator nerve.
Course: Descends on the anterior surface of adductor brevis, posterior to pectineus and adductor longus muscles.
Branches: Cutaneous and muscular branches.
Supply: Motor innervation to adductor longus, gracilis, adductor brevis, and pectineus muscles; Sensory innervation to skin on the medial side of thigh and hip joint.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The anterior branch originates inside the obturator canal as one of two main divisions of the obturator nerve. The other branch is the posterior branch of the obturator nerve.
Course
The obturator nerve travels across the lateral wall of the pelvic cavity to reach the obturator canal. Here it divides into anterior and posterior branches. Through the obturator canal, the anterior branch of the obturator nerve gains access to the medial compartment of the thigh. It then descends on the anterior surface of adductor brevis, posterior to pectineus and adductor longus muscles.
Branches
The anterior branch gives off muscular branches to the adductor longus (L2-L4), gracilis (L2-L3), adductor brevis (L2-L3), and pectineus (L2-L3) muscles. Cutaneous branches provide sensory innervation to skin on the medial side of the thigh. In addition, articular branches are also given off to the hip joint.
Supplied Structures
The anterior branch of the obturator nerve provides motor innervation to adductor longus (L2-L4), gracilis (L2-L3), adductor brevis (L2-L3), and pectineus (L2-L3) muscles. It also supplies sensory innervation to the skin on the medial side of the thigh and to the hip joint.
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Obturator Nerve
The obturator nerve is a major lower limb nerve derived from the anterior division of L2-L4 nerve roots and enters the pelvis along the obturator foramen and exits into the thigh anterosuperiorly along a 2- to 3-cm oblique tunnel, the obturator canal, and splits into anterior and posterior divisions.
