Dorsal digital nerves of foot are branches of the
intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve,
medial dorsal cutaneous nerve
The medial dorsal cutaneous nerve (internal dorsal cutaneous branch) is the more medial one of the two terminal branches of the superficial fibular nerve (the other being the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve). Through its branches, it provides ...
,
sural nerve
The sural nerve ''(L4-S1)'' is generally considered a pure cutaneous nerve of the posterolateral leg to the lateral ankle. The sural nerve originates from a combination of either the sural communicating branch and medial sural cutaneous nerve, ...
and
deep fibular nerve
The deep fibular nerve (also known as deep peroneal nerve) begins at the bifurcation of the common fibular nerve between the fibula and upper part of the fibularis longus, passes infero-medially, deep to the extensor digitorum longus, to the a ...
.
Structures
There are 10 total dorsal digital branches:
* The medial terminal branch (internal branch) divides into two dorsal digital nerves (nn. digitales dorsales hallucis lateralis et digiti secundi medialis) which supply the adjacent sides of the great and second toes,
* The medial dorsal cutaneous nerve (internal dorsal cutaneous branch) passes in front of the ankle-joint, and divides into three dorsal digital branches, one of which supplies the medial side of the great toe, the other, the adjacent sides of the second and third toes.
* The intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve divides into four dorsal digital branches, which supply the medial and lateral sides of the third and fourth, and of the fourth and fifth toes.
* The lateral dorsal cutaneous nerve from the sural nerve turns into a dorsal digital nerve and supplies the lateral side of the fifth toe.
Clinical significance
The dorsal digital nerves of the foot may be compressed by the
transverse metatarsal ligament
The transverse metatarsal ligament is a narrow band which runs across and connects together the heads of all the metatarsal bones. It is blended anteriorly with the plantar (glenoid) ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal articulations.
Its plantar ...
.
This causes
Morton's neuroma
Morton's neuroma is a benign neuroma of an intermetatarsal plantar nerve, most commonly of the second and third intermetatarsal spaces (between the second/third and third/fourth metatarsal heads; the first is of the big toe), which results in ...
, which causes foot
pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
.
Additional Image
File:Slide4ALE.JPG, Dorsal digital nerves of foot.Deep dissection.
See also
*
Common plantar digital nerves of medial plantar nerve
The common plantar digital nerves of medial plantar nerve are nerves of the foot. The three common digital nerves (nn. digitales plantares communes) pass between the divisions of the plantar aponeurosis, and each splits into two proper digital ner ...
References
Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso
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