Quick Facts
Origin: Common fibular nerve (L5-S2).
Course: Passes over the popliteus muscle and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle to descend in the leg.
Branches: Sural communicating branch.
Supply: Anterior, posterior, and lateral skin of the proximal leg.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The lateral sural cutaneous nerve arises from the common fibular nerve in the popliteal fossa.
Course
The lateral sural cutaneous nerve passes over the popliteus muscle and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle. It descends in the leg, piercing through the crural fascia of the leg to become cutaneous.
Branches
The lateral sural cutaneous nerve gives off a sural communicating branch. This communicating branch joins with the medial sural cutaneous nerve to form the sural nerve proper.
Supplied Structures
The lateral sural cutaneous nerve provides sensory cutaneous innervation to the anterior, posterior, and lateral skin of the proximal third of the leg.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Lateral Sural Cutaneous Nerve
Lateral sural cutaneous nerve: The lateral sural cutaneous nerve typically arises from the common peroneal nerve, and then gives off the peroneal communicating branch approximately 3–8.5 cm after leaving the common peroneal nerve (Ortigüela et al., 1987).
