Clinical Leg Flashcards
Common fibular nerve (L4-S2) pathway
- From sciatic nerve
- Passes around fibular neck
- Enters lateral compartment by passing through posterior intermuscular septum
- Bifurcates into terminal branches
Bifurcation of someone fibular nerve (L4-S2) terminal branches
- Deep fibular nerve
- Superficial fibular nerve
Deep fibular nerve pathway
- Terminal branch of common fibular nerve
- passes through anterior intermuscular septum
- Enters anterior compartment
Common fibular nerve (L4-S2) injury
- Susceptible to injury as it passes around fibula
- Prolonged compression
- Trauma
Prolonged compression of common fibular may result from
- Tight casts
- Excessive sitting/sleeping position
Injury to common fibular nerve (L4-S2) associated with
- Footdrop (increased tripping with gait)
- Weak dorsifelxion, to extension, and eversion
- Steppage gait
- Loss of sensation of distal anterolateral leg, dorsum of foot, 1st web space
Transmalleolar angle
- Line between center of medial/lateral malleoli
- In relation to line passing through knee joint axis
- Measures tibial torsion
Normal range of tibial torsion
- Childhood: -10-0 degrees
- Adults: 10-15 degrees external rotation
Obtaining tibial torsion angle
- Measure transmalleolar angle
- Can also use thigh foot angle
Measuring transmalleolar angle
- Patient prone
- Line through the longitudinal axis of the thigh
- Line perpendicular to the most prominent point of the malleloli
Measuring thigh foot angle
- Patient prone
- Line bisecting foot and line bisecting thigh
Kager angle
- Radiolucent triangle seen one lateral radiographs
- Kager fat pad (pre-calcaneal fat pad/pre-Achilles fat pad)
Kager triangle may be obliterated by pathologies
- Achilles pathology (tearing, inflammation)
- Calcaneal fracture
- FHL tendon pathology
- Accessory soleus muscle
Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Compressive neuropathy of tibial nerve or it’s branches within the tarsal tunnel
- Porta pedis is also entrapment site
Symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Altered sensation of medial/plantar foot and medial ankle (tibial nerve distribution)
- Atrophy of intrinsic foot muscles (prolonged compression)
- Tinel sign
Tinel sign
- Pain with tapping
- Percussing the nerve in tunnel
Symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome may be reproduced by
- Sustained dorsiflexion of ankle and MTPJs
- Sustained plantarflexion and inversion
Tarsal tunnel syndrome may be treated
- Surgically
- Conservatively
Boundaries of tarsal tunnel
- Medial: flexor retinaculum (laciniate ligament) and abductor hallucis
- Lateral: calcaneus, posterior talotibial and calcaneotibial ligaments
- Distal margin: porta pedis